Dentists should report cases of xerostomia caused by medications to the FDA, Edwin Zinman, D.D.S., J.D., told attendees at the World Congress of Minimally Invasive Dentistry (WCMID) annual meeting in San Francisco last week.
Dr. Zinman, a San Francisco attorney who specializes in dentistry, said more than 3,000 medications can contribute to medication-induced xerostomia, yet most of the drugs don't come with adequate warning labels.
He called for the WCMID to issue a position statement describing the information that should be in such a label.
"We should be suggesting to the manufacturer not only that a drug has a risk of xerostomia, but that [the consumer] should consult with a dentist," said Dr. Zinman. "They should put it in layman's terms."
Dentists can report adverse drug reactions through the FDA's MedWatch program. Dr. Zinman suggested that dentists use the term "medication-induced xerostomia (MIX) disease," which he has coined to describe this type of adverse reaction.
Among the classes of drugs that may cause xerostomia are antihistamines, antihypertensives, methamphetamines, and antidepressants.
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