Failure of xylitol given three times a day for preventing acute otitis media.
BACKGROUND
Xylitol administered regularly 5 times a day after each meal is successful in preventing acute otitis media (AOM) in children, but if given only during respiratory infections it is ineffective against AOM. To find a more convenient dosing regimen, we tested whether xylitol administered 3 times a day reduces the occurrence of AOM.


METHODS
In this 3-month randomized, double-blind trial, 663 healthy day care children were randomized to receive either a control product (n = 331) or xylitol (n = 332). Xylitol was given in chewing gum or in a mixture 3 times a day, the daily dose being 0.5 g in the control group and 9.6 g in the xylitol group. The occurrence of the first AOM diagnosed during any period of respiratory symptoms during the follow-up was the main outcome measure.


RESULTS
At least one AOM episode was diagnosed in 98 of the 331 children who received control products (30%) and in 94 of the 332 who received xylitol products (28%). A total of 142 episodes of AOM were diagnosed in the control group compared with 156 in the xylitol group. The differences were not statistically significant.


CONCLUSIONS
Xylitol given regularly 3 times a day for 3 months during the respiratory infection season failed to prevent AOM.
Hautalahti
Outi
O
Department of Pediatrics, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.
Renko
Marjo
M
Tapiainen
Terhi
T
Kontiokari
Tero
T
Pokka
Tytti
T
Uhari
Matti
M
D000208:Acute Disease; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D010033:Otitis Media / Q000188:drug therapy*; D017211:Treatment Failure; D014993:Xylitol / Q000008:administration & dosage*
D014993:Xylitol