Xylitol
A naturally occurring sugar substitute.
FACTS!
STUDIES!
XEROSTOMIA!
(Dry mouth)
*Chew xylitol gum after meals and snacks!
*Don’t forget to grab a sample of our sugar-free spry gum that contains .72 grams of xylitol!!!
- It is a sugar molecule crossed with an alcohol molecule
- Found in the fibers of many fruits
- Remineralizes enamel before dental caries form
- Reverse dental caries
- Raises pH of saliva and when the pH is greater than 7 calcium and phosphate salts in the saliva go to the parts of the enamel where they are lacking
- Sugar feeds bacteria while xylitol starves bacteria, which also reduces plaque
- You should have 6 grams per day (12 pieces of gum per day)
- Mothers can inoculate their children with their own salivary bacteria during kissing, feeding, or even just wetting of pacifier or bottle therefore children’s decay pattern often resemble mothers decay pattern and xylitol can be used to prevent this
STUDIES!
- First study was done in Finland in the 1970s
- Xylitol was extracted from birch trees
- Scientists at TurkuUniversity showed xylitol had significant dental benefits
- A group chewing sugar gum had 2.92 decay, missing, or filled teeth compared to 1.04 who chewed xylitol chewing gum
- These studies have also shown that prevention to mutans streptococci (MS) in early childhood = prevention of decay
- 195 mothers with high salivary MS levels chewed xylitol resulted in the reduction in MS in children 2 years compared to fluoride or chlorhexidine varnish
- At the age of 5 caries reduced 70 percent compared to fluoride or chlorhexidine varnish.
XEROSTOMIA!
(Dry mouth)
- It is a condition not a disease, where the salivary glands no longer produce normal saliva flow
- Dry mouth is often a side effect of medication (drugs used for depression, anxiety, pain, allergies, Parkinson’s disease, chemotherapy, muscle relaxants, and sedatives are just a few of the many drugs that dry mouth is a common side effect of)
- Some diseases also have dry mouth as a side effect for example sjogren’s syndrome, HIV/AIDS, and Alzheimer’s disease
- Dehydration and some lifestyles like smoking also cause xerostomia
- Dry mouth can cause gingivitis (gum disease), tooth decay, and mouth infections
- Chewing sugar-free gum can help improve your saliva flow
*Chew xylitol gum after meals and snacks!
*Don’t forget to grab a sample of our sugar-free spry gum that contains .72 grams of xylitol!!!
