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Xylitol may be the key to reducing cavities in babies.
A new study indicates that mothers can stop cavities from forming in their child’s mouth by wiping Xylitol on the gums. Ling Zhan, assistant professor of dentistry at the University of San Francisco, mentioned this information at the International Association of Dental Research meeting.
The amount of cavities decreased even though there was no drop in cariogenic organisms, according to the study. This new information did not follow any other patterns that had previously been seen.
To compile the data, Dr. Zhan put together a group of 44 mothers and babies. The children were as young as 6 months and as old as 35 months. The mothers were given wipes and asked to use them to wipe their baby’s gums three times each day. Some of the wipes had Xylitol, while the other wipes were the placebo.
The children were analyzed after one year and there was a major difference between the children whose gums were wiped with Xylitol compared to those children whose gums were wiped with the placebo. There were fewer cavities among the children whose gums were wiped with Xylitol.
Xylitol gum is now readily available and, based on this study and many others, there is research that shows chewing this kind of gum after a meal will halt the tooth decay. This study also demonstrates how valuable Xylitol is in keeping teeth healthy.
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