In 1963, when scientists discovered that the natural sweetener xylitol inhibits the adhesion of the caries-causing oral bacterium Streptococcus mutans, it seemed logical to include the ingredient in chewing gum. This great idea has had its limitations: toddlers need a fair amount of xylitol to protect their primary teeth as they erupt, and manufacturers can only pack so much of the compound into a stick of gum. The toddlers would need to chew at least 3 sticks of gum per day to get the full decay-preventing benefit. A recent study may have found a more practical alterative in a soft capsule filled with 8 mL of strawberry-flavored xylitol syrup. Parents can pull the capsule apart and squeeze the syrup directly into their child’s mouth. In a year long randomized trial of 94 toddlers whose primary teeth were “coming in,” the researchers found that children who received 2 capsules a day could prevent up to 70% of decayed teeth. They found that the protection against decay was not increased with 3 capsules per day. The study was conducted in the Micronesian Marshall Islands, where the caries rate is 2 to 3 times that of the typical American mainland community. According to the researchers, this marks the first time to their knowledge that xylitol has been shown to be “effective for the prevention of decay in primary teeth for toddlers.”
(Source: National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, Science News in Brief, July 21, 2009.)
