Food Sci. Biotechnol. Vol. 18, No. 2, pp. 432 ~ 435 (2009) ⓒ The Korean Society of Food Science and Technology Preventive Effect of Sugar-free Chewing Gum Containing Maltitol on Dental Caries in situ Eun-Jung Lee1,2, Bo-Hyoung Jin2, Dai-Il Paik2, and In-Kyeong Hwang1* 1Department of Food and Nutrition, College of Human Ecology, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-742, Korea 2Department of Preventive & Social Dentistry, School of Dentistry, Seoul National University, Seoul 110-749, Korea Abstract The preventive effect of chewing gum containing maltitol, xylitol, gum base, and sugar on remineralization were investigated. The clinical study consisted of 8 weeks’ randomized, double blind, controlled, cross-over clinical trials including 24 healthy adults had chew gum. After each test week, remineralization effect was evaluated by measuring microhardness and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Microhardness of experimental chewing gum containing maltitol or xylitol was significantly higher than that of sugar gum (p<0.005). Images of SEM showed the remineralization effect of gum containing gum base, maltitol, or xylitol compared with sugar gum. Maltitol and xylitol gums were more effective in remineralization than sugar gum. It was concluded that maltitol and xylitol can be used as sugar substitute to prevent dental caries. Keywords: dental caries, sugar free gum, remineralization, microhardness, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) Introduction similar to the subtle cooling effect of sucrose (12). It is not metabolized by oral bacteria, so it does not promote tooth The development of sugar-free chewing gum has offered a decay (13,14). Maltitol’s good taste, reduced caloric value, non-cariogenic alternative for consumers. In contrast to versatility, and its high level of sweetness in comparison sugared gum, chewing sugar-free gum results in the rise of with most of other polyols facilitate its use in a wide plaque pH due to the effect of stimulation on the variety of products. With increasing demand for products composition of saliva in the absence of significant acid reduced in calories and simple sugars, the use of maltitol is production by plaque microflora (1,2). For this reason, expected to increase. Fewer studies on the anti-cariogenic Edgar and Dodds (3) stated that sugar-free gum ‘approaches effects of maltitol have been made in the dental research the ideal of a non-cariogenic sweetment’. area. Sugar alcohols, a type of polyols, are commonly added The purpose of this study was to evaluate the anti- to foods because of their lower caloric content than sugar; cariogenic effects of maltitol compared with xylitol in however, they are also, in general, less sweet, and are often sugar-free gum by investigating the changes of oral flora combined with high-intensity sweeteners. Polyols such as and remineralizing enamel subsurface lesions in a human sorbitol, maltitol, mannitol, and xylitol show a little or no in situ model. fermentability in dental plaque. Sugar alcohols that have been identified and developed are generally considered safe for teeth and make an important contribution to the Materials and Methods prevention of dental caries (4-8). For many years, all Subjects This study followed a protocol reviewed and polyols have been studied for their effects on oral health, approved by the institutional review board of Seoul National and these studies have led to the consensus that all polyols University Dental Hospital IRB #1-Dental Clinical are non-cariogenic because they do not decrease pH below Research (IRB Identification No. CRI06011). The subjects 5.7 (9). Therefore polyols are widely used as sweetening of this study were 24 healthy adults (17 males, 7 females) agents in chewing gum and various candy formulations. aged 26 on the average (male: 26±2.0, female: 26±1.0) Among polyols, xylitol gum has been investigated most who were in good general and oral health and provided a intensively. However, the technical characteristics of xylitol written informed consent and medical history information. make it suitable for some applications but not all and Criteria for exclusion were the use of antibiotics or other therefore, the use of other polyols is required (2,10). antibacterial medicaments that could affect plaque growth Maltitol has 95% of the sweetness of sucrose and almost during the last 3 months, fewer than 20 teeth available for identical properties except for browning (11). Its high evaluation, fixed or removable orthodontics appliances, sweetness allows it to be used without being mixed with partial dentures, known allergies against test agents, and other sweeteners, and it exhibits a negligible cooling effect pregnancy. in comparison with other sugar alcohols, and is very Study design The clinical study consisted of 8 weeks’ *Corresponding author: Tel: +82-2-880-6837, Fax: +82-2-884-0305 randomized, double blind, controlled, cross-over clinical E-mail: [email protected] trials (Table 1). After exact examination, all the subjects Received September 16, 2008; Revised October 22, 2008; received professional prophylaxis, fluoride toothpaste (LG Accepted October 27, 2008 Household & Health Care Ltd., Seoul, Korea), and a 432 Anti-cariogenic Effect of Sugar-free Gum 433 Table 1. Study design and schedule Test cycle 1 Test cycle 2 Test cycle 3 Test cycle 4 Investigational events Day 0 1 - 7 8 - 14 15 - 21 22 - 28 29 - 35 36 - 42 43 - 49 50 - 56 Dental status × Personal data × Medical history × Professional toothcleaning × Chewing gum1) Group I GB M X S Group II M X S GB Group III X S GB M Group IV S GB M X Washout ×××× Microhardness ××××××××× SEM × × × × × × × × × 1)GB, gum base; M, maltitol chewing gum; X, xylitol chewing gum; S, sugar chewing gum. toothbrush (Burtler, Sunstar Americas, Chicago, IL, USA), measurements were done 3 times, and the specimens’ which they were obliged to use during the 1-week hygiene Vickers hardness number was above 100 was selected for phase before the experiment period and during the washout the experiment. To make an artificial incipient lesion, each period. At the beginning of each test week (day 1, 15, 29, specimen was immersed in a demineralized solution (75 and 43), the subjects had further professional tooth mM acetate buffer, pH 4.3, containing 2.0 mM calcium, cleaning and were supplied with the test products in a and 2.0 mM phosphate) for 3 hr at 37oC followed by 21 hr randomized 4×4 latin square design. Every subject in the of immersion in a remineralizing solution (20 mM cacodylate maltitol, xylitol, sugar, and gum base control groups was buffer, pH 7.4, containing 1.5 mM calcium, 0.9 mM instructed to chew the allocated 2 gum pellets containing phosphate, and 0.15 M KCl). After completing the pH- 1.2±0.1 g/piece of maltitol, xylitol, or sugar 7 times a day cycling procedure, the specimens were stored in constant (at 9, 11 am, 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9 p.m. at 2-hr intervals) for 5 relative humidity of 100%. min (a total of 14 gum pellets/day) between the regular meals. After each test week, there was a week washout Preparation of removable appliance Dental impression period to stabilize the oral conditions. was taken with alginate to make appliances with acrylic resin, and recessed 3 troughs on the lingual side of the Chewing gum All the gum pellets were manufactured mandibular premolar/molar regions to mount bovine similarly in size, consistency, colors, and sweetness by enamel specimens on them. Utility wax was used to fix the Societe Roquette Frères, Shanghai, China and marked A, bovine enamel specimens in the troughs. These appliances B, C, and D until all results were evaluated. The gum with bovine specimens were sterilized by the use of pellets contained approximately 56% of only one kind of gamma radiation from cobalt-60. The irradiation was carbohydrate (maltitol 56%, xylitol 57%, or sugar 55% performed using a Gammacell 220 Excel (GC-220E; MDS each) without coating. Nordion, Ottowa, ON, Canada) for 14 hr and 49 min at 27oC producing a dose of 25 kGy. The irradiation time was Preparation of bovine enamel specimens Extracted determined taking into consideration the correction the bovine incisors were stored in 0.1% thymol solution for 30 radioactive decay of γ-ray source (Fig. 1). days at 4oC before embedding. Bovine enamel discs with a diameter of 5 mm were prepared from upper jaw incisors Surface microhardness (SMH) analysis The degree of by first excising a cylinder perpendicular to the labial demineralization of the enamel slabs was measured by surface of the teeth with a diamond-coated corer under the evaluating changes in microhardness. Microhardness was constant flow of cooling water. The labial surface of a measured before and after pH-cycling, and after each test bovine enamel surface was polished with a polishing period. The laboratory staff quantitatively assessed changes machine (The LaboSystem, Struers, Ballerup, Denmark) in the mineral contents of enamel specimens by surface up to 2,000 grit silicon carbide papers sequentially and microhardness tester (HMV-2000; Shimadzu Corp.) equipped polishing paper No. 4,000 and 6,000 grit to expose a flat with a Vickers indenter. Using the utility wax, each enamel enamel surface. Before being used in the experiment, all specimen mounted on the flat plastic block and measured. prepared specimens were stored in constant relative SMH determined by measuring the length of the indentations. humidity of 100%. To get more reliable results, measurements were repeated 5 times. The laboratory staff placed 5 baseline indentations Artificial incipient lesion using pH-cycling Before spaced 100 µm apart with a Vickers diamond under 500 g making an artificial incipient lesion, all specimens’ Vickers load in the center of each flattened, polished sound enamel hardness number was measured with a surface microhardness specimen.