Doxycycline and (probably) minocycline do not stain teeth of children

Reference

Ravindra D, Huang G, Hallett K, Burgner DP, Gwee A, Silva MJ. Antibiotic exposure and dental health: a systematic review. Pediatrics 2023;152(1):e2023061350. 

Synopsis

To assemble the evidence, these researchers searched 3 databases, including Cochrane CENTRAL, as well as Google Scholar, dissertation abstracts, and reference lists to identify English-language articles that reported antibiotic exposure before 8 years of age and the effect on teeth, including tooth staining, dental caries, or developmental defects of enamel. Two researchers independently assessed the research for inclusion. One investigator abstracted the research findings, which was checked by a second researcher. Similarly, one person evaluated the research for risk of bias, which was audited by a second researcher. Five studies of 206 children found no relationship between doxycycline use over a short period (< 2 weeks) and teeth staining; 3 of these studies had a low risk of bias. A study of 39 children who received minocycline found no effect on tooth color. Tetracycline, at higher doses than typically used (> 20 mg/kg/day) was associated with teeth staining. Tetracyclines were not associated with changes in dental enamel or the development of dental caries.