An In Vivo Comparison of the Effect of Sugar-Free Chewing Gum on Salivary Flow Rate and pH in Children at High Risk and Low Risk for Dental Caries

Abstract

Aim The purpose of the study was to compare the changes in salivary pH and salivary flow rate after chewing xylitol-containing chewing gum in children at high risk and low risk for dental caries.Method Forty school children aged 9 to 12 years were selected for the study according to the inclusion criteria and were divided into two groups - Group A 20 children at high caries risk for dental caries and Group B 20 children at low risk for dental caries. Initially baseline saliva samples were collected for both the groups and subjected to salivary pH and flow rate assessment. Following this the children were instructed to chew xylitol-containing sugar-free chewing gum for 10 minutes. Salivary pH assessment was done at different time intervals like 0 15 30 45 and 60 minutes. The salivary flow rates were measured once the froth settled.Results Data was analyzed statistically using repeated-measures ANOVA. After chewing sugar-free gum salivary flow rate showed no significant difference pgt0.05 between Group A and Group B whereas salivary pH showed a statistically significant difference plt0.001 between the two groups at different time intervals.Conclusion Xylitol-containing sugar-free chewing gum showed an elevated salivary pH in children at high risk for dental caries when compared to the low-risk group while it showed an equal effect on salivary flow rate in both the groups. Xylitol-containing chewing gums were more effective in children at high risk for dental caries than the low-risk group.