Among children, tooth cavities are very common and stand second only to common cold in prevalence. Studies have shown that most Americans have a minimum of one cavity and the first cavity surfaces around five years of age.

Recently, even this age is getting lower, with toddlers reporting with tooth decay. This happens mostly due to their bedtime habits. They lie down to sleep with a bottle of milk or fruit juice. The sugar together with bacteria present in the mouth causes tooth decay. When the decayed milk tooth is not treated promptly, it will result in damaging the permanent teeth as well.

A recent study has revealed that the tooth decay caused by the presence of sugar in mouth can be treated with a sweetener. Xylitol is a natural sweetener derived from plants and fruits. It is found that children fed daily with the Xylitol syrup, is more resistant to tooth decay.

Earlier, there were unconfirmed reports that by chewing on gums and lozenges containing Xylitol, it is possible to prevent tooth decay in school-going children. This is the first study to analyze the truth behind this belief and also show that it is suitable for toddlers as well.

Ninety-four children in the age group of 9 to 15 months from the Republic of Marshall Islands participated in the study led by Peter Milgrom, DDS, University of Washington, Seattle. Tooth decay is widely prevalent among the children of the Island. The children were segregated into groups and fed Xylitol syrup in varying doses. No placebo was used, as the health officials of the Islands refuse to allow this.

Those who received the syrup twice daily during the tooth eruption stage were able to control the decay up to 70%. As Xylitol is not very expensive, it is suitable for use in children from low-income groups as well. One can always find more on the topic from the source article.