title: A randomised trial of calcium alginate swabs to control blood loss in 3-5-year-old children.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the effectiveness of calcium alginate swabs and traditional cotton swabs in the control of blood loss after extraction of deciduous teeth from healthy children, aged 3-5 years, under general anaesthetic.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective, randomised clinical trial.
  
  
  METHODS
  General anaesthetic suite in a dental teaching hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  101 patients were recruited to the study, comprising 50 randomised to be treated with cotton swabs and 51 with alginate swabs.
  
  
  METHODS
  Teeth were extracted under general anaesthesia and blood collected for measurement in order to compare blood loss using the two systems.
  
  
  METHODS
  The number of teeth extracted ranged from 1-14. The total blood loss ranged from 0.53-78.13 ml with a median of 12.9 ml.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Calcium alginate swabs were not found to produce any clinical or statistical advantage over traditional cotton swabs in this surgical setting.
authors.affiliation: Eastman Dental Institute for Oral Health Care Sciences, London.
authors.forename: N J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Henderson
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Crawford
authors.forename: B C
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Reeves
mesh_terms: D000464:Alginates / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000766:Anesthesia, Dental / Q000379:methods; D000768:Anesthesia, General / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016063:Blood Loss, Surgical / Q000517:prevention & control*; D001810:Blood Volume; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002675:Child, Preschool; D019140:Dental Care for Children; D004395:Dye Dilution Technique; D020723:Glucuronic Acid; D003368:Gossypium / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006488:Hemostasis, Surgical / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D006490:Hemostatics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006603:Hexuronic Acids; D006801:Humans; D006472:Oral Hemorrhage / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008517:Phytotherapy; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012044:Regression Analysis; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D015503:Surgical Sponges; D014081:Tooth Extraction / Q000009:adverse effects*; D014092:Tooth Root
chemical_list: D000464:Alginates; D006490:Hemostatics; D006603:Hexuronic Acids; D020723:Glucuronic Acid