[Effect of chewing sugar-free gum on dental caries]

Previous in vivo studies have demonstrated that chewing sugar-free gum after eating reduces the development of dental caries. To investigate the extrapolation of these findings, a two-year clinical study was conducted on 547 schoolchildren in Budapest. Subjects in the "gum" (test) group were instructed to chew one stick of commercially available sorbitol-sweetened chewing gum for 15-20 minutes after meals, three times daily. The "control" group was not provided with chewing gum. After two years, excluding white spots, the "gum" group exhibited a 38.7% caries increment reduction compared to the "control" group. Including white spots, a corresponding 33.1% reduction was indicated. These results clearly suggest that even in a population with moderate caries prevalence and normal oral hygiene habits (including the use of fluoride dentifrices), an after-meal gum chewing regimen can significantly reduce the rate of caries development.