PARENTS are confusing teething gel with other painkillers and giving their kids too much, the South Australian government has warned.
CALLS to the state’s poison hotline over teething gels have almost tripled in the last five years.
Acting health minister Martin Hamilton-Smith says some teething gel packaging looks similar to other pain killer products, and has accidentally been given to children. “Teething gel only requires a small amount to be rubbed on the gums, while other pain relief products usually require a larger amount to be swallowed,” he said in a statement on Monday. Some teething gels contain local anaesthetic lignocaine, which can cause serious side effects including seizures and cardiac arrest if too much is ingested.