TUCSON, Arizona--SpiffiesT Baby Tooth Wipes, individually packaged, disposable tooth and gum cleaners from DR Products, provide "an effective
method of plaque control", according to a clinical study.
The study, "The Effectiveness of a Novel Infant Tooth Wipe in High Caries-Risk Babies 8 to 15 Months of Age" by Anna Galganny-Almeida, DDS. The research was presented at the recent American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry Annual Session.
Dr. Galganny-Almeida noted, "As pediatric dentists diagnose infants with Early Childhood Caries [the cavity-causing disease that the Centers for Disease Control says is the most common childhood infection], we know that if these children had visited our dental offices by age one, this disease could have been prevented or greatly minimized."
SpiffiesT Baby Tooth Wipes were shown to have many advantages compared to a toothbrush, including the fact that with the wipes, infants' sleep was not disrupted.
Dr. Galganny-Almeida concluded, "The wipes were highly accepted by babies and parents, especially after night-feeding practices. Based on these data, the recommendation to introduce infant tooth wipes into an effective daily oral hygiene routine for young children can be readily and easily integrated into the general practices of all children's health care providers."
Thirty-five healthy and caries-free babies were selected for this randomized, crossover clinical study. The babies had never had their teeth cleaned and no primary molars were yet present. All had the potential risk factor of
inappropriate feeding behaviors at bedtime.
A manual toothbrush was used as a control cleansing method. Parents of babies used their randomly assigned cleansing method for a period of three minutes without instruction.
Subjects returned to the clinic after 48-72 hours, and the clinical
procedures were repeated using the alternate cleansing method. All clinical plaque measurements were performed by one examiner who was blinded to treatment sequence.
Parental satisfaction and the parent's perception of their baby's acceptance regarding the use of the cleansing method were evaluated by a questionnaire.
Both the infant tooth wipe and conventional brushing were found to be safe and effective methods for significantly reducing plaque levels from anterior primary teeth. Parents were more satisfied with the infant tooth wipes when
compared to conventional brushing, especially after night-feeding habits.
This difference was statistically significant. Similarly, infants' acceptance was higher with the tooth wipes during daytime and significantly higher at night time.
Spiffies, available in all-natural Baby Grape, Baby Apple and Mmmango flavors, contain xylitol, a safe, natural ingredient proven to prevent
tooth decay and gum disease. The Spiffies towelette is wrapped around a finger and rubbed over teeth and gums.
Spiffies inventor, Tucson pediatrician Ray Wagner, says these handy dental wipes are perfect for use at home and on the go. Baby Bottle Tooth
Decay, or Early Childhood Caries, is typically caused by sugary fruit juices and infants sucking on bottles when they're put to bed.
"Spiffies give parents a convenient, safe, and effective way to clean their infant's teeth and prevent cavities. Spiffies help establish a regular oral
hygiene routine, starting kids on a healthy lifestyle," he said.
