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No evidence of caries reduction found in a school xylitol and erythritol lozenge programme
1Department of Public Health, NHS Fife, Cameron Hospital, Windygates, Fife, UK.
Design:
A double-blind, cluster-randomised, double-blinded clinical trial was conducted.
Intervention:
All children within a fluoridated area with low caries received oral health programmes based on their estimated risk of caries. The children were divided into five groups. Four groups received three times daily xylitol/maltitol (4.7g/4.6g) lozenges or erythritol/maltitol (4.5g/4.2g) lozenges for either one or two school years. One group did not receive lozenges. Clinical examination was undertaken at baseline and after 48 months primarily by one dentist who was blinded to the assignment of each child. Radiographical examination was undertaken at 48 months, with two calibrated dentists undertaking the analysis.
Outcome Measure:
Change in caries: decayed missing or filled surfaces at dentinal level (ΔD3MFS).
Results:
Forty-eight months after commencement of the research there were no statistically significant differences between the proportion of ΔD3MFS=0 (clinically or radiographically) within the groups (xylitol/maltitol or erythritol/maltitol lozenges). Seventy-five of the children were lost to follow up, seven discontinued through other reasons.
Conclusions:
The use of xylitol-maltitol or erythritol-maltitol lozenges within a cohort of low caries children either over nine months or 21 months were not effective in reducing dental caries in primary school children.
