Clinical studies generally support the idea that sugar-free and xylitol-containing chewing gums can help reduce plaque accumulation and prevent dental caries by stimulating salivary flow and lowering oral acidity, though some individual trials find limited direct effects compared to specialized rinses.
Evidence for · 6
Effect of Chewing Xylitol Chewing Gum on Salivary Flow Rate and the Acidogenic Potential of Dental Plaque
2009 · cited by 57
Xylitol chewing gum reduced the acidogenic potential of dental plaque compared to controls.
Evidence against · 1
A Clinical Comparison of Green Tea Mouthrinse and a Xylitol Containing Chewing Gum in Managing Dental Plaque
2025 · cited by 0
A crossover clinical trial found no statistically significant reductions in plaque or gingival indices for the xylitol chewing gum group.
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More for · 5
Long-Term Effect of Xylitol Chewing Gum in the Prevention of Dental Caries: A Follow-Up 5 Years after Termination of a Prevention Program
2009 · cited by 44
Long-term use of xylitol chewing gum led to lower caries scores and helped prevent dental cavities.
Dental Caries and Mutans Streptococci in the Proximal Areas of Molars Affected by the Habitual Use of Xylitol Chewing Gum
2009 · cited by 26
Habitual consumption of xylitol gum was associated with lower mutans streptococci and decreased proximal caries.
Randomized controlled clinical trial on the efficacy of a novel antimicrobial chewing gum in reducing plaque and gingivitis in adolescent orthodontic patients
2024 · cited by 8
Chewing gum without antimicrobial ingredients effectively helped decrease plaque accumulation and gingival inflammation.
A chewing gum containing ethylenediaminetetraaceticacid (EDTA), methyl sulfonyl methane (MSM) and xylitol works comparable to chlorehexidine mouthrinse
2024 · cited by 2
A novel chewing gum formulation showed effective results in dental plaque control comparable to chlorhexidine mouthwash.
Effect of Sugar-Free Chewing Gum on Salivary Flow Rate and Dental Plaque Levels: An Observational Study
2026 · cited by 0
Sugar-free chewing gum significantly increased stimulated salivary flow rates and led to a reduction in plaque scores.