London Times by Suzannah Olivier

Have a Nice Mouth

A look at new treatments and products that aim to keep teeth and gums in peak condition
"Periodontal, or gum, disease affects 95 per cent of people, making it the most common of all diseases... Plaque builds up as a mixture of mouth bacteria and food particles in a solution of mucus. A sweetener, Xylitol, which is finding its way into many chewing gums, mouth rinses and toothpastes, is being hailed as the latest effective anti-plaque weapon.
     Dr Ronnie Levine, author of the Scientific Basis of Dental Health Education for the Health Development Agency (formerly the Health Education Authority), says: "As an anti-plaque and anti-caries (tooth decay) agent, Xylitol is possibly the most promising development since the introduction of fluoride."
     Xylitol is a bulk sweetener (as opposed to an artificial sweetener) related to sugar and extracted from birch wood. Unlike most other sugars, Xylitol cannot be converted to acid in the mouth by bacteria. It suppresses unfavourable mouth bacteria, especially Mutans streptococci, and inhibits plaque formation.