Biomaterial Database

Sealants and xylitol chewing gum are equal in caries prevention. 2000

P Alanen, and M L Holsti, and K Pienihäkkinen

Institute of Dentistry, University of Turku, Finland. pentti.alanen@utu.fi

Sealants and xylitol have been demonstrated to prevent dental decay, but their effect has never been compared in the same study. Regular use of xylitol chewing gum during 2 or 3 school years was compared with application of occlusal sealants in a randomized study. The reliability of the clinical observations was controlled by examining the presence of dental decay in the same teeth from bitewing radiographs in a blind study. After 5 years, no statistically significant differences between the sealant and xylitol groups were found. The results were in line with the results from separate studies with sealants or xylitol. There were no great differences between the costs of the measures. The selection between the compared preventive measures has to be made on the basis of practical aspects such as caries occurrence, availability of personnel and other resources, opportunity costs, cooperation with schools, and other local conditions.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D010895	Pit and Fissure Sealants	Agents used to occlude dental enamel pits and fissures in the prevention of dental caries.	Dental Sealant,Dental Sealants,Fissure Sealant,Fissure Sealants,Pit And Fissure Sealant,Pit Fissure Sealant,Sealants, Tooth,Pit Fissure Sealants,Sealants, Dental,Fissure Sealant, Pit,Fissure Sealants, Pit,Sealant, Dental,Sealant, Fissure,Sealant, Pit Fissure,Sealant, Tooth,Sealants, Fissure,Sealants, Pit Fissure,Tooth Sealant,Tooth Sealants
D002638	Chewing Gum	A preparation of chicle, sometimes mixed with other plastic substances, sweetened and flavored. It is masticated usually for pleasure as a candy substitute but it sometimes acts as a vehicle for the administration of medication.	Chewing Gums,Gum, Chewing,Gums, Chewing
D002648	Child	A person 6 to 12 years of age. An individual 2 to 5 years old is CHILD, PRESCHOOL.	Children
D003362	Cost-Benefit Analysis	A method of comparing the cost of a program with its expected benefits in dollars (or other currency). The benefit-to-cost ratio is a measure of total return expected per unit of money spent. This analysis generally excludes consideration of factors that are not measured ultimately in economic terms. In contrast a cost effectiveness in general compares cost with qualitative outcomes.	Cost and Benefit,Cost-Benefit Data,Benefits and Costs,Cost Benefit,Cost Benefit Analysis,Cost-Utility Analysis,Costs and Benefits,Economic Evaluation,Marginal Analysis,Analyses, Cost Benefit,Analysis, Cost Benefit,Analysis, Cost-Benefit,Analysis, Cost-Utility,Analysis, Marginal,Benefit and Cost,Cost Benefit Analyses,Cost Benefit Data,Cost Utility Analysis,Cost-Benefit Analyses,Cost-Utility Analyses,Data, Cost-Benefit,Economic Evaluations,Evaluation, Economic,Marginal Analyses
D003731	Dental Caries	Localized destruction of the tooth surface initiated by decalcification of the enamel followed by enzymatic lysis of organic structures and leading to cavity formation. If left unchecked, the cavity may penetrate the enamel and dentin and reach the pulp.	Caries, Dental,Carious Lesions,Dental Cavities,Dental Cavity,Dental Decay,Dental White Spots,Carious Dentin,Decay, Dental,Dental White Spot,White Spot, Dental,White Spots, Dental,Carious Dentins,Carious Lesion,Cavities, Dental,Cavity, Dental,Dentin, Carious,Dentins, Carious,Lesion, Carious,Lesions, Carious,Spot, Dental White,Spots, Dental White
D004245	DMF Index	"Decayed, missing and filled teeth," a routinely used statistical concept in dentistry.	Decayed, Missing, and Filled Teeth,DMF Indexes,DMF Indexe,DMF Indices,Index, DMF,Indexe, DMF,Indexes, DMF,Indices, DMF
D004311	Double-Blind Method	A method of studying a drug or procedure in which both the subjects and investigators are kept unaware of who is actually getting which specific treatment.	Double-Masked Study,Double-Blind Study,Double-Masked Method,Double Blind Method,Double Blind Study,Double Masked Method,Double Masked Study,Double-Blind Methods,Double-Blind Studies,Double-Masked Methods,Double-Masked Studies,Method, Double-Blind,Method, Double-Masked,Methods, Double-Blind,Methods, Double-Masked,Studies, Double-Blind,Studies, Double-Masked,Study, Double-Blind,Study, Double-Masked
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000704	Analysis of Variance	A statistical technique that isolates and assesses the contributions of categorical independent variables to variation in the mean of a continuous dependent variable.	ANOVA,Analysis, Variance,Variance Analysis,Analyses, Variance,Variance Analyses
D012571	School Dentistry	Preventive dental services provided for students in primary and secondary schools.	Dentistries, School,Dentistry, School,School Dentistries

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