title: An evaluation of a commercial chewing gum in combination with normal toothbrushing for reducing dental plaque and gingivitis.
abstract: New evidence suggests a beneficial outcome to chewing a sugarless gum as an added component to a regular, twice-daily toothbrushing regimen. Results of a 4-week study performed on 78 adults with preexisting gingivitis showed a significant reduction of dental plaque and gingivitis when the test group of 39 adults chewed 2 pieces of ARM & HAMMER Dental Care The Baking Soda Gum (AHDC)--a sugar-free chewing gum containing sorbitol, malitol, xylitol, and sodium bicarbonate--for 20 minutes twice a day in conjunction with once-daily toothbrushing for 60 seconds. The control group, also comprised of 39 adults, used breath mints (the study placebo) twice a day in conjunction with the same toothbrushing regimen. There were no statistically significant differences in plaque and gingivitis scores at the baseline examination. Using the Quigley-Hein Plaque Index, the test group experienced a 17% reduction in plaque over 4 weeks, while the control group reduced their plaque amounts by approximately 9% over the same period. Lobene's Mean Gingivitis Index scores were equally significant: a nearly 10% decline for the test group compared to almost 2% for the control group. This article describes the 4-week study and its promising results.
authors.affiliation: BioSci Research Canada, Ltd., Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: N C
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Sharma
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Galustians
authors.forename: J G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Qaqish
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002638:Chewing Gum; D003773:Dental Plaque / Q000628:therapy*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D005891:Gingivitis / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009911:Oral Hygiene Index; D010512:Periodontal Index; D017693:Sodium Bicarbonate / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D013402:Sugar Alcohols; D014099:Toothbrushing
chemical_list: D002638:Chewing Gum; D013402:Sugar Alcohols; D017693:Sodium Bicarbonate