Purpose:

  The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of a 10 percent casein phosphopeptide-amorphous calcium phosphate (CPP-ACP) cream to reduce mutans streptococci (MS) colonization and prevent early childhood caries.

 Methods:

 The cohort was randomized at mean age of 11 days old to receive once-daily CPP-ACP cream (n=102) or no product (comparison group n=89) from the time of first tooth eruption. All mothers were contacted by telephone at six, 12, and 18 months and advised to brush their children's teeth twice daily with low-dose fluoride toothpaste. At 24 months, all children were examined at a community clinic.

 Results:

  At 24 months old, one out of 65 (2 percent) children in the CPP-ACP group had caries vs. four out of 58 (seven percent) in the comparison group (difference not statistically significant). There were fewer MS-positive children in the CPP-ACP group (26 percent) vs. the comparison group (47 percent P=.02). A dose-response effect of CPP-ACP usage on MS was observed, where MS was present in eight percent of regular CPP-ACP users, 28 percent of irregular users, and 47 percent of non-users (P<.02).

  Conclusions:

 CPP-ACP reduced the percentages of mutans streptococci-positive 24-month-old children, although it did not reduce caries prevalence.

 Source: Journal of American Academy of ‍ Pediatric Dentistry

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