Effects of Xylitol Wipes on Cariogenic Bacteria and Caries in Young Children

The aim of the study was to investigate the efficacy of the use of xylitol-containing tooth-wipes in preventing dental caries in young children. in a double-blinded randomized controlled clinical trial,44 mothers with active caries and their 6- to 35-month-old children were randomized to xylitol-wipe or placebo-wipe groups. the children's caries scores were recorded at baseline and 1 year. salivary levels of mutans streptococci and lactobacilli were enumerated at baseline,3,6,and 12 months. data were analyzed by intent-to-treat modeling with imputation for caries lesions and a linear mixed-effect model for bacterial levels. significantly fewer children in the xylitol-wipe group had new caries lesions at 1 year compared with those in the placebo-wipe group (p < 0.05). no significant differences between the two groups were observed in levels of mutans streptococci and lactobacilli at all time-points. daily xylitol-wipe application significantly reduced the caries incidence in young children as compared with wipes without xylitol,suggesting that the use of xylitol wipes may be a useful adjunct for caries control in infants (clinicaltrials.gov registration number ct01468727). © 2012,international & american associations for dental research. all rights reserved.