Study shows chewing sugarfree gum, such as ORBIT Complete, after meals and snacks helps reduce tooth decay by up to 40%.

Latest clinical research shows a dramatic reduction in the incidence of dental caries among children who chewed sugarfree gum after meals. Additionally, the researchers found that chewing gum helped replace minerals in tooth enamel lost due to plaque acid attack after eating.

The trial, which took place among school children in Budapest, Hungary, and was reported in the Journal of Dental Research¹, compared two groups of children aged between 8 and 10 years. One group (269 children) chewed a stick of sorbitol-sweetened chewing gum three times every day after meals for 20 minutes while the second group (278 children) did not chew gum. Annual clinical examinations were carried out, checking both for evidence of caries and demineralisation (white spots) on the teeth due to loss of minerals.

Over the two-year period, the children who chewed sugarfree gum had up to 40.8% fewer decayed, missing or filled teeth than the non-chewing children. They also showed a higher number of reversals in white spot development.

The action of chewing gum stimulates salivary flow, which washes out acids. Most importantly, saliva contains bicarbonate, a buffer, which neutralises the plaque acids formed after snacks and meals, so helping to prevent the development of caries. Saliva also has a remineralising effect. By replacing lost minerals in the tooth enamel, it helps to repair early damage to the enamel.

Remember to recommend chewing ORBIT Complete sugarfree gum to all your patients for 20 minutes after meals and snacks.

Reference

1. Szöke J, Bánóczy J Proskin HM (2001) Effect of after-meal sucrose-free gum-chewing on clinical caries. Journal of Dental Research 80(8): 1725-29.