Apr 13, 2006 9:47 pm US/Eastern
Xylitol May Help Prevent Cavities
by Dr. Mallika Marshall
BOSTON (CBS4) ―
Ryan Messner is an admitted gum addict. He chews about a pack a day. He's always opted for sugar free and recently noticed a new option, gums and mints sweetened with Xylitol, a natural sugar substitute.
Clifford Whall, PhD, is with the American Dental Association and says, "the studies tend to indicate that Xylitol might have a beneficial effect over and above some other sweeteners." But you have to make sure you are getting enough to fight cavities.
Dr. Peter Wilgrom tested products to find out what that benchmark might be. He says, "we estimate that a person needs to get about six grams of Xylitol a day spread out over maybe three different times during the day."
Dr. Wilgrom found that Smint Xylicare, a mint, contains less than .2 grams per serving. That means you would need to consume 30 mints per day. Epic Xylitol gum contains just over one gram per piece, so you would need to chew six pieces a day. One of the highest amounts of Xylitol can be found in Carefree Koolerz gum. It contains about 1.5 grams per piece which means you would need four sticks a day.
Right now, companies are not required to list how much Xylitol is in their products which makes it impossible to know just how much are getting.
Until that changes experts like Wilgrom advise, "if a consumer looks at a product . . . where Xylitol is the first sugar listed, there is a good chance that product contains enough Xylitol to be helpful." Ryan certainly feels like it's working for him. He says he'll definitely keep using it so he can stay out of the dentist's chair.
The American Dental Association is keeping a close eye on this research. They would like to see more evidence before weighing in on whether dosage guidelines are necessary.
(© MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
