OBJECTIVE: To review onychomycosis with an emphasis on the traditional and newer antifungal agents available to treat onychomycosis. QUALITY OF EVIDENCE: We searched MEDLINE for the years 1966 to 1995. We excluded case reports from our analysis. MAIN FINDINGS: For treating onychomycosis, newer antifungal agents (such as terbinafine, itraconazole, and fluconazole) are more cost-effective than the traditional agents griseofulvin and ketoconazole. Of the newer agents, only terbinafine is currently approved in Canada for treating onychomycosis. CONCLUSIONS: The new generation of drugs is an important addition to the armamentarium of therapies available for treating onychomycosis. At the moment, in Canada, terbinafine is the drug of choice and more cost-effective than griseofulvin for treating dermatophyte-induced onychomycosis.
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