Stevia (high-intensity/non-nutritive sweetener) in a daily snack vs Baseline (within-group change); white sugar snack is a parallel arm with no between-group effect size reported
Change in Mutans streptococci (MS) and Lactobacilli in saliva · Schoolchildren (6-9 years), high caries risk
The single stevia trial (Cocco 2019) reported a significant reduction in salivary Mutans streptococci and lactobacilli, but gave no effect size and was not GRADE-rated.
1 finding from 1 review
- Clinical Effects of Sugar Substitutes on Cariogenic Bacteria: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. 2024 All outcomes42 days · Schoolchildren in Italy, high caries risk; sweetener delivered as a daily snack · Single study (Cocco 2019); not pooledCocco 2019 (the only high-intensity sweetener trial): the stevia snack showed a significant decrease in MS (P < .01) and in lactobacilli (P = .03) versus baseline, whereas the white-sugar snack showed no significant…1 study · 271 participantsGRADE not reported