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A Challenge for Us All

Burton L. Edelstein, DDS, MPH

Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2009;163(7):667-668.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

The report by Milgrom et al¹ on a randomized clinical trial of topical xylitol to prevent dental caries in infants and toddlers highlights the pressing need to eliminate an overwhelmingly preventable disease that remains rampant among our children. Early childhood caries (ECC) is well understood by microbiologists and research dentists—if not by the general public and their health care providers—as ordinary tooth decay run amok. It most commonly manifests as extensive tooth destruction and associated pain, with or without infection, by age 22 months and sometimes much earlier.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that more than one-quarter of all US toddlers and preschoolers (28%) are affected.² Nearly half of all children have experienced cavities before entering kindergarten.² Children of social disadvantage—poor children, minority children, children of parents with lesser education, and especially Native American and Pacific Islander children—are disproportionately affected. The caries . . . [Full Text of this Article]

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RELATED ARTICLE

Xylitol Pediatric Topical Oral Syrup to Prevent Dental Caries: A Double-blind Randomized Clinical Trial of Efficacy
Peter Milgrom, Kiet A. Ly, Ohnmar K. Tut, Lloyd Mancl, Marilyn C. Roberts, Kennar Briand, and Mary Jane Gancio
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2009;163(7):601-607.
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