Importance of Xylitol for Kids

Xylitol is a naturally occurring alcohol found in most plant material, including fruits and vegetables. It is extracted from birch wood to make medicine and is widely used as a sugar substitute and in sugar-free candy and gum. Xylitol prevents tooth decay and dry mouth, when added in chewing gums, candy and other oral products. It does this by reducing the levels of decay-causing bacteria in your saliva. Xylitol, also lessens the severity and occurrence of inner ear and sinus infections, especially in children. Some parents think that oral care isn’t as important in the early years of a child’s life because the baby teeth will fall out. This can lead to a lifetime of healthy or unhealthy teeth and gums. Studies show that using xylitol in a child’s life will have long-lasting effects by decreasing cavity-causing bacteria in the mouth.

Maternal Chewing

Xylitol gum is obviously not suitable for very young children, but infants can actually benefit from maternal chewing. Studies show that Mothers who used it several times each day, protected their child from tooth decay. It helped reduce the amount of microorganisms transmitted from Mother to child.

Sugar Substitute

A sugar substitute can be dissolved in water and drunk, or for young infants can be used on a wipe which can be applied to a child’s gums.

Gum and Candy

Older children can reduce the threat of cavities from developing by chewing xylitol gum, such. Early studies even show that compared to chewing regular sucrose-flavored gum, xylitol gums resulted in nearly two fewer cavities or missing teeth.

Nasal Care

Researchers found that Xylitol helped prevent the attachment bacteria that cause most ear and sinus infections. Dr. Jones thought that putting the xylitol where the bacteria lived–in the nose–would be better than in the mouth. He used it on kids in his practice with chronic ear complaints and  more than 90% of the complaints disappeared. While a saline nasal spray is good, a saline nasal spray containing xylitol is a whole lot better. We recommend Kid’s Xlear Nasal Spray with Xylitol, the only saline nasal spray containing xylitol. It is a natural saline and xylitol solution that is safe for infants and toddlers.