A chewing gum that prevents tooth decay ...

Do you surprise
not whether the industry of chewing gum is soon highlighted on its packaging the word "xylitol". This natural sugar found in some fruits has the potential to reduce significantly the number of bacteria Streptococcus mutans that cause tooth decay.

According to a recent study conducted among 151 people easily prone to decay, those who chewed gum sweetened with xylitol for five minutes at the end of the meal had significantly fewer bacteria than those who chewed gum sweetened with sorbitol or not chewed anything. The beauty of the thing is that the effect of xylitol were felt up to three months later.

The principal author of the research, Dr. Gary Hildebrandt, Associate Professor at the School of Dentistry at the University of Minnesota, says that the bacteria that cause tooth decay are trying to combat the presence of xylitol which leaves them with less' energy to reproduce. In contrast, chewing gum sweetened with sorbitol or sugar feed the same bacteria.

This is not the first time that the xylitol is out, because two studies in 1996 and 1998 showed that children who chewed gum with xylitol were less likely to develop ear infections. Caries, otitis ... and how about a little xylotil in toothpaste? Discussions on the more widespread use of xylitol have started in the community scientifique1.