Xylitol is a sugar alcohol sweetener that is a naturally occuring sugar substitute. (It is not actually a sugar in the truest sense because it has a different molecular structure – five carbons atoms instead of six like other sugars.) It is found in the fibers of many fruits (such as strawberries, raspberries and plums), vegetables (such as corn), oats and mushrooms. It is also produced in the human body as a by-product of a normal metabolism.
It has many potential medical applications. Some of the specific areas in which value has been shown is for Dental Caries, patients with Diabetes, Osteoporosis, Ear and Upper Respiratory Infections, Candida yeast, as well as Pregnant and Nursing Women. In addition to being available as granulated sugar, it has been added to chewing gums, tablets, lozenges, toothpastes, rinses and mints to help usage and intake. It has been shown to have antibacterial effects – inhibiting mutans streptococci -bacteria that contribute to tooth decay. It has been shown to be safe for pregnant and nursing women.
(Note: While xylitol may have the ability to neutralize the saliva to prevent acid erosion, it doesn’t address other concerns of proper nutrition such as a mineral deficiencies, or take the place of good oral hygiene to prevent periodontal disease.)
SOURCE: Wiki
ONLINE RESEARCH ARTICLES:
ABSTRACT:
Xylitol chewing gum and caries rates: a 40 month study.
J Dent Res. 1995 Dec;74(12):1904-13. [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8600188].
A 40-month double-blind cohort study was conducted between 1989-1993 in Central America, using 4 trained dentists and a modified WHO procedure, 1,277 subjects were divided into various treatment groups. The groups given Xylitol pellet gum was superior to all other gums including Sorbitol containing gum in significantly reducing caries rates.
ABSTRACT:
Policy on the Use of Xylitol in Caries Prevention – American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry Adopted in 2006
The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry published a reference guideline promoting the usage of Xylitol-based products – particularly for infants, children, adolescents, and persons with special health care needs. They found that Xylitol help reduce plaque formation and adherence, inhibited enamel demineralization and inhibited Mutans streptococci when 4-10 grams per day were used spread over 3+ doses per day (therapeutic levels).
ABSTRACT:
Sugar and Dental Caries
Published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition Vol. 78, No. 4, 881S-892S, October 2003
A dynamic relation exists between sugars and oral health. Diet affects the integrity of the teeth; quantity, pH, and composition of the saliva; and plaque pH. Sugars and other fermentable carbohydrates, after being hydrolyzed by salivary amylase, provide substrate for the actions of oral bacteria, which in turn lower plaque and salivary pH. Xylitol—a 5-carbon sugar that oral microflora cannot metabolize—has additional anticariogenic effects attributable to antimicrobial action, stimulation of saliva resulting in increased buffer activity and an increase in pH, and enhanced remineralization
