How to Use Antibiotics in Children?

The use of medication in children, especially antibiotics, should be very limited and children should not be given medication without the advice of a physician.

Antibiotics should not be used for every toothache. Severe throbbing toothache, lymphatic involvement, fever, swelling of the gums, and redness of the gums indicate an infection originating from the tooth, and only in the presence of a real infection should antibiotics prescribed by the doctor be used in accordance with the doctor's recommendations.

Children are often prescribed penicillin-derived antibiotics. If your child is allergic to penicillin, you should definitely inform your doctor. Antibiotics are prescribed by calculating the appropriate dose according to your child's weight and age, and should be used in accordance with the doctor's recommendations.

Penicillin antibiotics should not be used with coffee, fruit juice, tomatoes and acidic foods. These types of foods and drinks reduce the effectiveness of the drugs.

Since antibiotics containing tetracycline can cause discoloration of the teeth, they should never be used by children under 8 years of age and should not be taken with milk/dairy products. Tetracycline will bind to the calcium in milk and its effectiveness in the body will decrease.

Paracetamol and ibuprofen derivatives can be used as painkillers and fever reducers, in accordance with the doctor's recommendations. Aspirin should never be given after tooth extraction or a surgical procedure, as there is a risk of increased bleeding.

Medicines in tablet form are often recommended for children over 12 years of age.

The use of antibiotics in pediatric dentistry is limited. Antibiotics are usually prescribed for abscesses caused by tooth decay. After starting antibiotics, the swelling should start to decrease within 3 days; if there is no visible change or if the swelling increases, a physician should be consulted. In such cases, the person is considered resistant to that antibiotic and the physician may prescribe an antibiotic with a different active ingredient or consult the pediatric infection department.

If there is swelling on the child's face that has progressed to the eye, drug treatment should be started as soon as possible and the source of infection should be eliminated. After the antibiotic treatment deemed appropriate by the doctor (or while the antibiotic treatment is ongoing), if the cause of the infection is a baby tooth, extraction should be considered; if it is a permanent tooth, root canal treatment should be started as soon as possible after the acute condition has resolved.

Penicillin allergy

Penicillin allergy is uncommon in children under 12 years of age and is more common in the types of penicillin that are administered orally (syrup/tablet) than in the types that are injected into a vein or muscle (IV/IM). Penicillin allergy may disappear over time, or penicillin allergy may develop in people who are not allergic. Penicillin and cephalosporin-derived drugs should never be prescribed to people with a history of penicillin allergy.

Whether a person is allergic to penicillin can be diagnosed in the "Allergy and Immunology" section. The tests to be performed may vary depending on the form of the drug to be used.

Skin rash, itching, wheezing, swelling of the lips, tongue or face are symptoms of penicillin allergy. If such symptoms are seen, the drug should be stopped immediately and the physician should be informed. If a more serious anaphylactic reaction develops (shortness of breath, low blood pressure, loss of consciousness, dizziness, swelling of the tongue and lips), the emergency room should be visited as soon as possible.

There is no harm in using painkillers and antibiotics together as long as your doctor recommends it.

Penicillin (Augmentin) and cephalosporin antibiotics and paracetamol (Parol) as a pain reliever can be used safely during pregnancy, with the advice of your doctor.

With the advice of your physician, penicillin and cephalosporin antibiotics and painkillers such as paracetamol (Parol), ibuprofen and acetyl salicylic acid (aspirin) can be used safely during breastfeeding.

Pediatric Dentist Cansu Uzun Önalan