Mother-Child Study I
Click here to view Mother & Child Study II A New Method for Preventing Childhood Tooth Decay
Mother & Child I - Protecting Children's Dentition - Prior to Eruption
A new breakthrough study published in the Journal of Dental Research (March 2000) has demonstrated significant reductions in a key factor of dental caries [cavities] in children, as a direct result of the consumption of chewing gum by their mothers.
The study was conducted in Finland by Dr. Eva Söderling from the University of Turku and Dr. Pauli Isokangas from the Ylivieska Health Care Center. It was designed to establish whether routine consumption of the sugar-free sweetener xylitol by mothers of newborn children, could prevent transmission of mutans streptococci (MS) from other to child (the primary route of bacterial introduction to the newborn's oral cavity). Xylitol has previously demonstrated unique dental properties in numerous field studies and clinical trials. These have established that xylitol has " P risk.< caries reduced of indication an as taken be can MS reduction the therefore and [cavities], dental future indicator acknowledged is colonization streptococci Mutans MS. virulence amounts reduces it whereby properties anti-caries active?>
Mothers were recruited for the study during pregnancy and were assigned one of three study groups. The mothers in the test group received xylitol gum for the duration of the study (3-5 times a day from 3 to 24 months) after the child was born). The mothers in the two control groups received either fluoride (F) or chlorhexidine (CHX) varnish applications at 6, 12, and 18 months post delivery. Otherwise, normal dietary and oral hygiene practices were maintained and dental examinations of the children were carried out annually. The plaque MS of the children was assessed when they reached two years of age.
