Taming Toddler Tooth Decay
July 8, 2008

by Nancy Volkers
InteliHealth News Service

INTELIHEALTH - Toddler tooth decay might be tamed with better nutrition for pregnant mothers and a sugar-free syrup for young children.

Studies on both topics were presented at the annual meeting of the International Association for Dental Research. The conference was held July 2 to 5 in Toronto.

Researchers from the University of Manitoba did the nutrition study. They found that women who don't get enough vitamin D during pregnancy have babies at increased risk for early tooth decay.

About 200 women were in the study. Only about 20 of the women had healthy vitamin D levels in the second trimester of pregnancy. Women who drank more milk or took prenatal vitamins had higher vitamin D levels.

The researchers examined 135 of the women's babies when they were between the ages of 1 and 2. About 1 out of 5 of the children had defects in their tooth enamel. About 1 out of 3 had early childhood tooth decay. This also is called early childhood caries, or ECC.

Mothers of children with early tooth decay were more likely to have had low vitamin D levels while pregnant.

In the past, less attention was paid to making sure that pregnant women in industrialized countries got enough vitamin D. That's because people in these countries tend to eat a wide variety of foods. Health experts figured they would get enough vitamin D by eating their usual diet. Now, experts are focusing more on the importance of vitamin D worldwide.

Researchers from the University of Washington tested a way to cut down on early tooth decay. They gave fruit-flavored xylitol syrup to 102 children for a year. This started when they were about 15 months old. The children either got about 3 grams of syrup once a day, or 8 grams of syrup divided into 2 or 3 daily doses.

After one year, 48% of the children in the lower-dose (once per day) group had no cavities. About 60% of the children in the higher dose, three-times-daily group had no cavities. The children in the twice-a-day group were the least likely to have cavities. About 75% were cavity-free.

Children in the once-a-day group had an average of two cavities each. Children in the three-times-a-day group had an average of one cavity each. The average in the twice-a-day group was less than one cavity. The study was done in the Republic of the Marshall Islands. There, the average child has about 7 cavities by the age of 5.

Xylitol is made from plants. It has been shown to help prevent tooth decay. Xylitol is used to sweeten mints, gum and syrup. It can also be found in a granulated form similar to sugar.