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July 23, 2009
For the Kids: Dental Press from the FDA and NIDCR
NIDCR: Xylitol Syrup Helps to Prevent Childhood Tooth Decay
http://www.nidcr.nih.gov/Research/ResearchResults/ScienceBriefs/CurrentSNIB/July/Xylitol.htm
In the July issue of the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, researchers partially funded through NIDCR may have found the answer. It’s a soft capsule filled with 8 milliliters of strawberry-flavored xylitol syrup. Parents can pull it apart and squeeze the syrup directly into their child’s mouth. In a year-long randomized trial of 94 toddlers whose primary teeth were “coming in,” the researchers found that children who received two capsules a day could prevent up to 70 percent of decayed teeth. They found that the protection against decay was not increased with three capsules per day. The study was conducted in the Micronesian Marshall Islands, where the caries rate is two to three times that of the typical American mainland community. According to the authors, this marks the first time to their knowledge that xylitol has been shown to be “effective for the prevention of decay in primary teeth for toddlers.”
Milgrom P, Ly KA, Tut OK, Mancl L, Roberts MC, Briand K, and Gancio MJ. Xylitol pediatric topical oral syrup to prevent dental caries, Arch Pediatr Adolsc Med 2009:163: 601-607. http://archpedi.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/163/7/601
FDA Urges Consumers Not to Purchase or Use Certain Gel-Filled Teethers Products found to contain bacteria; voluntary nationwide recall underway
Luv N’ Care Ltd. of Monroe, La., is initiating a nationwide recall of gel-filled teethers with the brand names “Nuby,” “Cottontails” and “Playschool,” because the liquid inside the gel-filled teethers has been found to contain Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus circulans bacteria in the gel.
http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm172713.htm
Posted by pfa at July 23, 2009 12:38 PM