Dental health
Various brands of North American chewing gum.
Sugar-free gum sweetened with xylitol has been shown to reduce cavities and plaque.[11] The sweetener sorbitol has the same benefit, but is only about one-third as effective as xylitol.[11] Other sugar substitutes, such as maltitol, aspartame and acesulfam, have also been found to not cause tooth decay.[8][12] Xylitol is specific in its inhibition of Streptococcus mutans, bacteria that are significant contributors to tooth decay.[13] Xylitol inhibits Streptococcus mutans in the presence of other sugars, with the exception of fructose.[14] Xylitol is a safe sweetener that benefits teeth and saliva production because it is not fermented to acid like most sugars.[8] Daily doses of xylitol below 3.44 grams are ineffective and doses above 10.32 grams show no additional benefit.[13] Other active ingredients in chewing gum include fluoride, which strengthens tooth enamel, and p-chlorbenzyl-4-methylbenzylpiperazine, which prevents travel sickness. Chewing gum also increases saliva production.[8]
Food and sucrose have a demineralizing effect upon enamel that has been reduced by adding calcium lactate to food.[15] Calcium lactate added to toothpaste has reduced calculus formation.[16] One study has shown that calcium lactate enhances enamel remineralization when added to xylitol-containing gum,[17] but another study showed no additional remineralization benefit from calcium lactate or other calcium compounds in chewing-gum.[18]
Other studies[19] indicated that the caries preventive effect of chewing sugar-free gum is related to the chewing process itself rather than being an effect of gum sweeteners or additives, such as polyols and carbamide.
A helpful way to cure halitosis (bad breath) is to chew gum. Chewing gum not only helps to add freshness to breath but can aid in removing food particles and bacteria associated with bad breath from teeth. It does this by stimulating saliva, which essentially washes out the mouth. Chewing sugar-free gum for 20 minutes after a meal helps prevent tooth decay, according to the American Dental Association, because the act of chewing the sugar-free gum produces saliva to wash away bacteria, which protects teeth.[20] Chewing gum after a meal replaces brushing and flossing, if that's not possible, to prevent tooth decay and increase saliva production.[21] Chewing gum can also help with the lack of saliva or xerostomia since it naturally stimulates saliva production.[8] Saliva is made of chemicals, such as organic molecules, inorganic ions and macromolecules. 0.5% of saliva deals with dental health, since tooth enamel is made of calcium phosphate, those inorganic ions in saliva help repair the teeth and keep them in good condition. The pH of saliva is neutral, which having a pH of 7 allows it to remineralize tooth enamel. Falling below a pH of 5.5 (which is acidic) causes the saliva to demineralize the teeth.[8]
Masumoto et al. looked at the effects of chewing gum after meals following an orthodontic procedure, to see if chewing exercises caused subjects pain or discomfort, or helped maintain a large occlusal contact area. 35 adult volunteers chewed gum for 10 to 15 minutes before or after three meals each day for 4 weeks. 90% of those questioned said that the gum felt "quite hard", and half reported no discomfort.[22]