Sugarless Gum Can Help Prevent Cavities

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By Dr. Murray Feingold

If you chew gum, you are not alone. It has been estimated that more than half of all Americans are gum chewers. But is chewing gum hazardous to your dental health? It depends upon the type of gum you chew.

Chewing gum that contains sugar is reportedly associated with the promotion of caries or dental decay. But chewing sugarless gum with the artificial sweetener Xylitol is not associated with causing dental decay and has even been shown to help prevent decay.

The xylitol in sugarless gum also plays a role in preventing caries. A recent study showed that syrup containing xylitol given orally to children age 9 to 13 months had significantly fewer cavities than the children who did not receive the xylitol syrup.

However, from a social point of view, it is important how a person chews his or her gum. In fact, some people believe that chewing gum in public is not acceptable and it should be done in the privacy of one's home.

Massachusetts-based Dr. Murray Feingold is the physician in chief of the National Birth Defects Center, medical editor of WBZ-TV and WBZ radio, and president of the Genesis Fund (a nonprofit organization that funds the care of children born with birth defects).