The Effect Of Xylitol/sorbitol Chewing Gum On The Tooth Plaque And The Remineralization In The Middle School Students

The dietary sugars play a vital role in the development of dental caries. The acid produced from the fermentation of sugars results in a drop on the plaque pH, which initiates decalcification of the enamel. The sugar-free gum is one of preventive measure for oral health. The xylitol/sorbitol chewing gum can increase not only salivary flow through a combination of gustatory and mechanical stimulation but also the level of salivary pH and the plaque pH, the remineralization of incipient carious lesions is accelerated at the same time. Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of a xylitol/sorbitol chewing gum on the tooth plaque and the tooth remineralization in the middle school students.Method: A total 285 middle school students aged 13 to 14 years old participated in this controlled, double-blind, clinical study. They were divided into the gum group and the control one. The students were provided with the xylitol/sorbitol chewing gums which were taken after breakfast, lunch and dinner by simultaneously chewing for 20 min. There was no measure for thecontrol group. All the occlusal and buccal(lingual) surfaces were evaluatedutilizing a DIAGNOdent and all the buccal and palatal surfaces of allpermanent teeth were recorded by the Rustogi modification of Navy plaqueindex. The participants of the study were examined at baseline, 1, 3 and6months following the same procedures.Results: 1. Compared with the control group, there was a significant increasein the removing of whole tooth plaque and plaque from gingival areas after thesubjects chewing xylitol/sorbitol chewing gums for one month (P<0.05). Therewas only a slight decrease in the plaque index in interproximal tooth areas(P>0.05). For both gum group and the control group, there was no significantdifference in Rustogi modification of Navy plaque index between the 3months and the 6 months group.2. Compared with the control group, the gum group mean DIAGNOdentscores of all the occlusal and buccal(lingual) surfaces on all permanent molarswere descending continuously(P<0.05). There were significant differences inDIAGNOdent readings between one month and the 3 months period as well asthe 3 months and the 6 months.Conclusions: The xylitol/sorbitol chewing gum can help removing dentalplaque and can accelerating the recalcification of early caries on occlusal andbuccal(lingual) tooth surfaces in middle school students The xylitol/sorbitolchewing gum is effective in caries prevention.