Xylitol-containing Chewing Gum for Caries Prevention in Students with Disabilities: A Randomised Trial.

Purpose: This cluster randomised controlled trial evaluated the effectiveness of a school-based xylitol chewing-gum programme on caries prevention among students with visual or hearing impairment.

Materials And Methods: The study compared xylitol gum plus oral health education (intervention group, n = 93) with oral health education alone (control group, n = 81) among students aged 7-18 years in special needs schools in Khon Kaen, Thailand. The primary outcome was caries onset rate measured as the change in caries onset on tooth surfaces.