Preventing Tooth Decay

Jeff Young, D.D.S.

February is National Dental Health Month. Young Dentistry for Children would like to remind parents that if your child is allowed to chew gum, sugarless gum is recommended. Research has shown that the use of chewing gum containing a sweetener called, "xylitol", helps to prevent tooth decay. One of the studies on the use of xylitol and its prevention of tooth decay is listed below. Remember that in order to keep a healthy smile, brush daily with a fluoride toothpaste, avoid frequent snacking and visit your dentist regularly.

XYLITOL ORAL SYRUP USED TOPICALLY TO PREVENT DENTAL CARIES

In the United States, more than 2 in 5 children from poverty families ages 2 to 5 years experience "early childhood caries" (ECC), and nearly half of those affected experience the severe form of this preventable condition.1

A controlled trial at the School of Dentistry, University of Washington, evaluated the effectiveness of a xylitol pediatric topical oral syrup to reduce the incidence of dental caries among very young children. One hundred children were enrolled in this study and ranged in age from 9 to 15 months. They were randomly placed in groups to receive xylitol oral topical syrup (administered by their parents) one dose per day, two doses per day, or three doses per day.

The primary outcome of the study was the number of decayed primary teeth. The average follow-up time period was 10.5 months. The results show significantly fewer decayed teeth in the groups receiving oral xylitol two or three doses per day. These results validate the short-term salivary impact of a xylitol intervention for young children.2

The conclusion is that xylitol oral syrup administered topically 2 or 3 times daily is effective in preventing early childhood caries.

1Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2009 Jul; 163(7):601-7.
2J Pediatr. 2010 Jan; 156(1):164.
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Employee of the Month

Crissie - Billing Specialist

Crissie is originally from New York and the youngest of 3 children. She moved to Colorado with her family in 2007 and has been working in the dental field for 10 years.

Crissie has been married to her husband Jeff for 8 years they have a 4 year old son Aidan, who is the light of their lives. Crissie enjoys spending time with her family, traveling and reading. Crissie loves to cook and would love to write a cookbook someday.

Crissie enjoys being able to help parents understand how dental insurance works.
She loves the wonderful dedicated staff @ YDFC from the doctors to the assistants, and believes they always show that the patient is the #1 priority.

Because Crissie is in the dental field, she can go overboard with the importance of brushing to her son Aidan! One day he said to Crissie "Mom, you always need to brush your teeth so you don't get cavities!" Crissie's constant talking about work and brushing have rubbed off on him!

Young Dentistry for Children promotes good preventive dental health care for all children. We are actively involved in the community as well as the schools with our dental prevention programs. Our informative presentations stress good brushing and flossing habits, proper diets and injury prevention, just to name a few. If your child's school is interested in having one of our office representatives come to do a presentation, please call our office.