Xylitol for preventing acute otitis media in children up to 12 years of age.

Study answer

What this study found

Overall, xylitol reduced the occurrence of acute otitis media in healthy children by about 25% versus control. In the pooled analysis of 1826 children from 3 studies, the risk ratio was 0.75 (95% CI 0.65 to 0.88) with an absolute risk difference of -0.07 (95% CI -0.12 to -0.03). Chewing gum appeared more effective than syrup, with reductions of about 41% for chewing gum and about 30% for syrup, while lozenges did not show a significant benefit. Xylitol given only during respiratory infection did not prevent acute otitis media.

Study & population

Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials in children up to 12 years of age.

Intervention

Xylitol was tested as prophylaxis for acute otitis media in several vehicles, including syrup, chewing gum, and lozenges, with daily doses generally around 8.4 g to 10 g xylitol.

Key limitation

The evidence base was small and came mainly from a few trials, largely from the same research group in Finland, which limits generalizability.

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Original abstract