title: Effect of after-meal sucrose-free gum-chewing on clinical caries.
abstract: Previous in situ and in vitro studies have demonstrated that the chewing of sucrose-free gum after eating reduces the development of dental caries. To investigate the extrapolation of these findings to the clinical setting, we conducted a two-year study on 547 schoolchildren in Budapest, Hungary. Subjects in the "Gum" group were instructed to chew one stick of a commercially available sorbitol-sweetened chewing gum for 20 minutes after meals, three times daily. The "Control" group was not provided with chewing gum. After two years, the "Gum" group exhibited a 38.7% reduction in incremental caries, excluding white spots, compared with the "Control" group. Including white spots, a corresponding 33.1% reduction was indicated. These results clearly suggest that even in a moderate caries population practicing normal oral hygiene, including the use of fluoride dentifrices, an after-meal gum-chewing regimen can significantly reduce the rate of caries development.
authors.affiliation: Semmelweis University Budapest, Faculty of Dentistry, Huba utca10, H-1134 Budapest, Hungary.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Szöke
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bánóczy
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002327:Cariostatic Agents; D002638:Chewing Gum; D002648:Child; D004245:DMF Index; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000517:prevention & control*; D003732:Dental Caries Activity Tests; D004435:Eating; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008353:Mannitol; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D013012:Sorbitol; D013549:Sweetening Agents
chemical_list: D002327:Cariostatic Agents; D002638:Chewing Gum; D013549:Sweetening Agents; D008353:Mannitol; D013012:Sorbitol