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From Trisha's Desk Trisha E. O’Hehir, RDH, MS Editorial Director, Hygienetown

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Sweeten Mom's Kisses to Reduce Baby's Risk of Caries
– by Trisha E. O’Hehir, RDH, BS, Hygienetown Editorial Director

Babies are born germ free. Moms, dads, siblings, caregivers and even the family dog share their oral flora with babies via saliva. Before teeth erupt, there is little chance Strep mutans will colonize, without the benefit of nonsloughing enamel surfaces. When teeth erupt, kids are susceptible to bacterial colonization. This provides a "window of infectivity," according to Dr. Page Caufield of New York University. In a 1993 article in the Journal of Dental Research, bacterial levels were monitored in 46 mother-child pairs from the child's birth to five years of age.
By 26 months, 38 of the children had acquired Strep mutans. Only eight children escaped Strep mutans colonization during the five years. When compared, moms and kids had the same oral bacteria. The window of infectivity identified by Dr. Caufield and his team was 19 to 26 months of age.

If mom or the primary caregiver has an oral flora replete with acid-producing Strep mutans, these bacteria are freely shared through saliva with the infant by kissing, tasting food first before feeding the child and sharing food. Besides being an opportunity for Strep mutans colonization, it is also the perfect place to prevent Strep mutans sharing, by helping moms share sweet kisses composed of non-cariogenic oral flora. Xylitol and oral probiotics will make the difference.

Dr. Eva Söderling and her research team from the University of Turku in Finland reported in the Journal of Dental Research in 2000 about the transmission of Strep mutans between moms and babies. The 195 pregnant moms in the study all had high Strep mutans counts at the start of the study. There were three groups. One group of mothers chewed 100 percent xylitol-sweetened chewing gum four times daily, beginning when their babies were three months old and continuing until they were 24 months. Moms in the second group had fluoride varnish applied to their teeth every six months for two years. Similarly, the third group had chlorhexidine varnish applied every six months. Nothing was done to the children in this study. The moms simply shared their saliva through normal kissing and sharing of food. At two years of age, Strep mutans levels were measured in the children revealing 10 percent in the xylitol group positive for Strep mutans, 30 percent in the chlorhexidine varnish group and 50 percent in the fluoride varnish group. The difference between the xylitol group and the fluoride group was fivefold!

When the children were five years of age, results showed a long lasting result with 70 percent less need for restorative care in children of the moms who chewed 100 percent xylitol-sweetened gum compared to the other two groups. These findings continued at this level through evaluations at ages six and 10.

Xylitol reduced the levels of Strep mutans in the mothers' mouths, allowing for much less likely transmission to their babies. True caries prevention begins when the mother is pregnant. Efforts to establish a healthy oral flora include daily xylitol use, good oral hygiene, healthy eating habits and now oral probiotics to change the oral flora to one conducive to health. With these changes in place, the stage is set for the baby to be protected when the first teeth erupt. Other researchers have shown that if Strep mutans transmission can be prevented for the first two years of a baby's life, the baby has less risk for future caries activity. Beginning a baby's life with sweet xylitol kisses should be the first step in preventing childhood caries.

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