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Medical Video: The impact of Cochrane evidence on xylitol for preventing caries
Xylitol is widely used as a sugar substitute sweetener in various "sugar free" gum products. Manufacturers claim that the content of xylitol in this healthy gum can help strengthen teeth and prevent cavities. Are the benefits of this xylitol gum proven to be medically or solely a slapstick ad? See the explanation here.
What is Xylitol?
Xylitol is a natural carbohydrate, which looks and feels like ordinary sugar. But if sugar is made from sugar cane, xylitol is a product of the extraction of wood fibrous plants, such as Birch trees (Betula pendula / papyrifera). Various fruits and vegetables also naturally contain xylitol, including plums, strawberries, and cauliflower. In sugar-free gum products, these natural sweeteners are extracted from more renewable resources, such as corncob or hardwood.
In addition, xylitol is also lower in calories than ordinary sugar: only 2.4 kcal / gram rather than sugar containing 4 kcal per gram. And when eaten, this sweetener gives a cold sensation in the mouth, but leaves no trace of taste at all. It is inversely proportional to the stinging sweetness of granulated sugar which sometimes can be made after being eaten eneg.
How does xylitol gum work in preventing cavities?
Tooth decay occurs when bacteria in the mouth gnaw away the remaining sugar from our food that sticks to the teeth, so that bacteria can multiply and produce acids that erode the tooth enamel. This acid waste over time causes cavities.
Meanwhile, xylitol is a natural sweetener that is antibacterial. These sweeteners work by inhibiting the growth of bacteria that cause cavities, and preventing the bad colonies from sticking to the teeth. Unlike sugar, bacteria cannot treat xylitol as a food source. Xylitol cannot be broken down easily like ordinary sugar because it is basically a plant extract. What this sweetener does is actually helping to keep the pH level in the mouth neutral, so that no acid is formed.
The dental health benefits of xylitol gum also include an increase in saliva production. Saliva itself protects the mouth and teeth from damage. If you only eat a few tablespoons of sugar a day, saliva can still work optimally to block bacterial growth. But in fact, sugar has become a life partner for most people so that the work of the natural mouth defense system alone will no longer be sufficient.
Research has shown that the use of xylitol helps repair damaged tooth enamel. Saliva containing xylitol is more basic than saliva which is stimulated by other sugar products. After consuming xylitol gum, the concentration of amino acids and ammonia in saliva and plaque will increase, and the pH of the plaque rises as well. When pH is above 7, calcium and phosphate salts in saliva begin to coat the weak enamel and strengthen it again.
But, is it true that xylitol gum is effective for dental care?
One study shows that bacteria that cause cavities can be inherited from parents to newborns, so it's not surprising that decayed and / or perforated teeth are one of the most common problems in young children.
Research in Scandinavia reported that children who routinely brushed teeth with fluoridated toothpaste that also contained xylitol for 3 years had a reduced risk of cavities in their permanent teeth by up to 13 percent when compared to ordinary toothpaste.
But the evidence supporting xylitol gum to maintain oral health is considered less than enough. The researchers found that there was little or no evidence of the benefits of this natural sweetener in preventing tooth decay found in other products, including syrup, lozenges and sugar-free gum. In fact, excessive consumption is associated with a laxative effect, which can lead to diarrhea if consumed more than 50 grams a day.
In essence, evidence of the benefits of xylitol for teeth is still uncertain. Maybe the potential effect looks promising on children's toothpaste, but not necessarily as good as sugar-free gum. For ways that are guaranteed to maintain dental health, dentists emphasize the importance of routine brushing twice a day, brushing the tongue, gargling, and flossing (dental floss) every day - in addition to chewing sugar-free gum.
