Chewing sugar-free gum may prevent dental cavity

To prevent your teeths from rotting, start chewing sugar-free gums, as researchers, including one of Indian-origin, have found some evidence that sugar-free gum could help reduce further development of dental caries (cavities) in adults and children.

The recently published study revealed that chewing sugar-free gum not only reduce the advancement of dental caries, it could be used as a viable preventative agent, in comparison to non-chewing control methods such as oral health education and supervising toothbrushing programmes alone.

"Both the stimulation of saliva which can act as a natural barrier to protect teeth, and the mechanical plaque control that results from the act of chewing, can contribute to the prevention of dental caries," said study lead author.

Sugar-free gum can also act as a carrier for antibacterial ingredients including xylitol and sorbitol. "No recent conclusive evidence existed prior to this review that showed the relationship between slowing the development of caries and chewing sugar-free gum," he added.

The research included analysis of studies published over the last 50 years, identifying 12 which explored the impact and intervention outcome of chewing sugar-free gum on oral health conditions, and in particular, dental caries on adults and children.

Sugar-free gum was found to reduce caries increment, giving it a preventative factor of 28 per cent. In recent years, chewing sugar-free gum has emerged as a possible supplement to existing prevention strategies in stopping the development of dental caries.

"There is a considerable degree of variability in the effect from the published data and the trials included were generally of moderate quality", researchers said. "However, researchers felt there was a definite need to update and refresh existing knowledge about sugar-free gum and its effect on oral health. We are planning further research to determine the acceptability and feasibility of using this method.