Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of the study group
| Variable | Test | Placebo | Dropout | p |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| n = 54 | n = 56 | n = 28 | ||
| Age (mean, SD) | 2.4 (0.4) | 2.3 (0.4) | 2.5 (0.4) | NS |
| Sex (boys/girls) | 52/48 % | 45/55 % | 46/54 % | NS |
| Medical problemsa, n (%) | 17 (31 %) | 18 (33 %) | 9 (32 %) | NS |
| Frequent sweet meals, n (%) | 14 (25 %) | 20 (36 %) | 9 (32 %) | NS |
| Supervised tooth brushing (2/day), n (%) | 43 (80 %) | 44 (79 %) | 22 (78 %) | NS |
| Supervised tooth brushing (1/day), n (%) | 9 (17 %) | 8 (15 %) | 5 (18 %) | NS |
| Number of erupted teeth (mean, SD) | 18.9 (2.4) | 18.9 (2.7) | 19.2 (1.9) | NS |
| Visible plaque (yes), n (%) | 18 (34 %) | 22 (40 %) | 11 (41 %) | NS |
| Bleeding after brushing (yes) | 6 (11 %) | 4 (7 %) | 3 (11 %) | NS |
| ds (mean, SD) | 0.7 (1.4) | 0.7 (1.4) | 0.8 (1.7) | NS |
aexamples were asthma, frequent infections with antibiotic treatment, frequent diarrhea
NS no statistically significant difference