title: Influence of xylitol in dentifrice on salivary microflora of preschool children at caries risk.
abstract: The aim was to study whether the use of a xylitol-containing dentifrice could affect the number of mutans streptococci and lactobacilli in preschool children with medium and high initial salivary counts. After screening 147 healthy preschool children, 3-6 years of age, 70 were selected and randomly assigned into two groups for 3-month's use of either a xylitol (9.7%) or a non-xylitol-containing fluoride dentifrice. The parents were trained to brush the teeth of their children twice daily in a standardized manner and the study was carried out double blind. Bacterial levels at screening and after 3 months were enumerated with aid of chair-side methods. No significant differences in mutans streptococci levels or lactobacilli counts after 3 months were obtained, either in comparison to baseline or between the groups. About 50% of all children exhibited unchanged bacterial scores at the end of the test period but more children in the xylitol group disclosed reduced scores of salivary mutans streptococci compared with the non-xylitol group (38% vs 16%). The results suggest that the dose level achieved by using this xylitol-containing dentifrice in preschool children, did not provide sufficient antibacterial action to suppress caries associated microorganisms in the saliva of those with high initial counts.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Medical and Dental Center, Halmstad, Sweden.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Twetman
authors.forename: L G
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Petersson
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D003733:Dental Caries Susceptibility; D003802:Dentifrices; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D006801:Humans; D007778:Lactobacillus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D012463:Saliva / Q000382:microbiology*; D013295:Streptococcus mutans / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D014099:Toothbrushing; D014993:Xylitol / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D003802:Dentifrices; D014993:Xylitol