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How to Use Xylitol

Read about caries prevention (type the word 'xylitol' in the search field) Preventing Cavities using Xylitol
There are many applications that use xylitol. Look for products that use xylitol as the primary sweetener and that encourage chewing or sucking to keep the xylitol in contact with your teeth. The best products are 100% xylitol sweetened and do not contain Titanium Dioxide.

For Diabetics

Xylitol is ideal for people with diabetes due to a very low Glycemic Index of 7 and it is metabolized without using insulin. Unlike artificial and chemical sweeteners xylitol is completely natural, great tasting and has 40% less calories than sugar. Xylitol is metabolized very slowly so there is a steady release of energy without any highs and lows. Xylitol has the same sweetness as sugar, so it should replace sugar one for one in recipes. Xylitol is heat stable, it dissolves and melts just like sugar but is much healthier for you.

How Much?

Studies show between 4 to 10 grams of xylitol daily is very effective. That is about 5 to 12 gums or 8 to 18 mints per day. Keeping track of your xylitol intake is easy. You can begin with as little as two pieces of gum or two mints four times a day for a total of four to five grams. It is unnecessary to use more than 15 grams per day for dental benefits.

How Often?

If used only occasionally such as once per day, xylitol may not be effective regardless of the amount. Use xylitol at least three, and preferably four to six times every day.

Timing:

Use immediately after eating and rinsing the mouth by swishing water, if possible. Between meals, use xylitol products in place of ordinary chewing gum, breath mints or breath spray. The key is to consistently use small amounts frequently throughout each day.

Clinical Studies:

In one randomized double-blind study, 850 day care children in Oulu, Finland with a history of recurrent Ear Infections were randomly put into five groups: chewing xylitol gum 5 times a day, swallowing xylitol syrup five times daily or sucking on a xylitol lozenge five times daily.

There were two placebo groups; one took gum the other syrup. At the end of the ear infection season, the children in the xylitol syrup group had 32% fewer ear infections than the placebo syrup group. The children in the xylitol chewing gum group had 40% fewer episodes of ear infections than the placebo gum control group.

The xylitol lozenge group showed fewer instances of ear infections but not a statistically significant reduction probably because the lozenge did not stay in the mouth long enough to be effective.

Gum was chewed for at least five minutes five times daily. Regular xylitol use inhibits Streptococcus mutans and streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria that are responsible for tooth decay and ear infections respectively.

In August 1987 a 12-month study was performed on a sample of 433 8 and 9 year old Montreal schoolchildren with a high cavities rate from low social-economic areas. The children were divided into three groups: one chewed gum with 65% xylitol content, another chewed gum with 15% xylitol content and the control group did not chew gum.

Teachers who supervised the gum chewing for five-minute intervals distributed the gum three times daily. The results showed a 55% reduction in the net decay progression for the children in the two chewing gum groups at the end of twelve months. Additionally, the net decay progression for the 65% xylitol gum group was significantly reduced compared to the 15% xylitol gum group.

The results showed a 33% reduction in the net decay progression for the children in the 65% xylitol gum group in comparison to the 15% xylitol gum group. This suggests a directly proportional relationship of xylitol concentration to decreased cavity progression and occurrence.

These findings are similar to those performed as part of the Turku sugar study during a twelve-month clinical study. This Finnish study was conducted to determine the impact of xylitol versus sucrose chewing gum on cavity incidence. The researchers reported a cavity reduction incidence of 83% in the xylitol chewing gum group compared to the sucrose group. (Scheinin et. al., 1975)

A recent clinical study has shown a dental caries reduction of 71-74% in children of mothers who used xylitol sweetened chewing gum four times daily from 3-24 months after their child was born in comparison to the two control groups which received fluoride and chlorbexidine varnish treatments at 6, 12 & 18 months of age.

Earlier studies showed that streptococci mutans bacteria are a major contributor of tooth decay and these bacteria are passed from mother to child by every day contact such as tasting of food and kissing. This study was published in the Journal of Dental Research and shows that mothers can greatly improve their children's dental health by simply chewing xylitol sweetened gum 4-5 times daily along with a normal oral hygiene regiment.

Article References:

  1. Peldyak John DMD, XYLITOL Sweeten Your Smile, by Advanced Developments Inc., 1996.
  2. By Mitchel L. Zoler Philadelphia Bureau, Medscape. From Pediatric News 31(12): 16, 1997.
  3. Kandelman D., Gagnon G. Abstract from J Dent Res 66(8): 1407-1411, August, 1987.
  4. Xylitol and Upper Respiratory Infections Uhari M, Kontiokari T, Koskela M, Niemela M. Xylitol chewing gum in prevention of acute otitis media: double blind randomized trial. BMJ 1996 Nov 9, 313(7066):1180-4. (Department of Pediatrics, University of Oulu, Finland.)
  5. Xylitol and Adherence of Nasal Bacteria Kontiokari T, Uhari M, Koskela M. Antiadhesive effects of xylitol on otopathogenic bacteria. J Antimicrob Chemother 1998 May; 41(5): 563-5. (Department of Pediatrics, University of Oulu, Finland.)
  6. Isokangas, P. et al (2000) Journal of Dental Research 79(11);1885-1886