Xylitol Prevents Baby Tooth Decay, Study Shows SEATTLE, WA (KPLU) - It's well known that fluoride can help prevent tooth decay. But you may not have heard about a natural sweetener called xylitol which also prevents cavities. A new study out of the University of Washington shows it could make a huge difference for low-income families, where babies are twice as likely to suffer from tooth decay.

Dr. Peter Milgrom, of the U.W., has been testing xylitol syrup in babies. This study was fairly small, but showed a significant drop in the number of babies with cavities. In many communities, especially where education is low, tooth decay is widespread in young children and leads to a lifetime of problems.

Xylitol is a natural sweetener, which was approved for foods in the U.S. back in 1963. It's marketed in some chewing gums, because it's actually proven to prevent cavities. The trick, according to Dr. Milgrom, is you need to get a concentrated dose of it in your mouth, two or three times a day. An accompanying essay in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine suggests xylitol could become a standard part of care - alongside fluoride.


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