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Objectives: A systematic review of published data was conducted with the aim of assessing the effects of sugar-free polyol chewing gums on gingival inflammation., Materials and Methods: Electronic and hand searches were performed to find clinical studies concerning the effects of sugar-free chewing gums on gingival scores. Prospective randomized controlled clinical trials published between 1971 and 2021 were included in the review., Results: The initial search identified 46 erythritol, 102 xylitol, 23 sorbitol, and nine maltitol chewing gum articles. After applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, seven xylitol chewing gum studies, one sorbitol, and one maltitol chewing gum study with either high or fair quality were reviewed. In five out of the seven xylitol studies, xylitol gum decreased gingival scores. In two studies, xylitol decreased gingival scores compared to a polyol gum, and in three studies compared to no gum/gum base. As for sorbitol and maltitol, only sorbitol gum chewing showed a small decrease in gingival scores compared to the controls., Conclusions: Habitual xylitol gum chewing may reduce gingival inflammation. The low number of studies and their heterogeneity provide clear indications that the effects of sugar-free polyol chewing gums on gingival inflammation need further, well-controlled studies., Clinical Relevance: Sugar-free chewing gums, especially xylitol gum, may function as adjuncts to toothbrushing for reducing gingival inflammation, but the evidence so far is inconclusive., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Objectives: A systematic review of published data was conducted with the aim of assessing the effects of xylitol consumption on the amount of dental plaque., Materials and Methods: Electronic and hand searches were performed to find clinical studies concerning the effects of xylitol chewing gum or candies on dental plaque. Prospective randomized controlled clinical trials published between 1971 and 2020 conducted in healthy subjects were included in the review., Results: The initial search identified 424 xylitol articles. After applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, altogether 14 articles (16 studies) were reviewed. The review identified 12 of the total of 14 xylitol chewing gum studies as having fair or high quality. In 13 of the 14 chewing gum studies, xylitol gum decreased plaque accumulation. In six studies, xylitol gum chewing decreased plaque compared to sorbitol gum, and in three studies compared to gum base/no gum. In three fair-quality studies conducted with xylitol candies, plaque accumulation did not change., Conclusions: Habitual xylitol gum chewing appears to show plaque-reducing effects that differ from those of sorbitol gum. This suggests specific effects for xylitol on plaque accumulation. Xylitol candies appear not to decrease plaque. The heterogeneity of the studies warrants further research. Clinical relevance Habitual xylitol gum chewing is likely to decrease plaque., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the effects of short-term xylitol gum chewing on the salivary microbiota of children., Materials and Methods: The study was a randomised, controlled, double-blind trial. Healthy children used xylitol chewing gum (xylitol group, n = 35) or sorbitol chewing gum (control group, n = 38) for 5 weeks. The daily dose of xylitol/sorbitol was approximately 6 g/day. At baseline and at the end of the test period, unstimulated and paraffin-stimulated saliva were collected. The microbial composition of the saliva was assessed using human oral microbe identification microarray (HOMIM). Mutans streptococci (MS) were plate cultured., Results: As judged by HOMIM results, no xylitol-induced changes in the salivary microbiota took place in the xylitol group. In the control group, Veillonella atypica showed a significant decrease (p = 0.0001). The xylitol gum chewing decreased viable counts of MS in both stimulated (p = 0.006) and unstimulated (p = 0.002) saliva, but similar effects were also seen in the control group., Conclusions: The use of xylitol gum decreased MS, in general, but did not change the salivary microbial composition., Clinical Relevance: Short-term consumption of xylitol had no impact on the composition of the salivary microbiota, but resulted in a decrease in the levels of MS.

Objectives: The aim was to evaluate the effects of orally administered Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) and Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis BB-12 (BB-12) on the number of salivary mutans streptococci (MS), amount of plaque, gingival inflammation and the oral microbiota in healthy young adults., Materials and Methods: The study was a randomised, controlled, double-blind trial. Healthy volunteers used lozenges containing a combination of LGG and BB-12 (test group, n = 29) or lozenges without added probiotics (control group, n = 31) for 4 weeks. At baseline and at the end of the test period, the plaque index (PI) and gingival index (GI) were determined, and stimulated saliva was collected. The microbial composition of saliva was assessed using human oral microbe identification microarray (n = 30). MS and lactobacilli (LB) were plate cultured., Results: The probiotic lozenge decreased both PI and GI (p < 0.05) while no changes were observed in the control group. However, no probiotic-induced changes were found in the microbial compositions of saliva in either group., Conclusions: The probiotic lozenge improved the periodontal status without affecting the oral microbiota., Clinical Relevance: Short-term consumption of LGG and BB-12 decreased the amount of plaque which was associated with a clinical impact: a decrease in gingival inflammation.