Effects of short‐term xylitol chewing gum on pro‐inflammatory cytokines andStreptococcus mutans: A randomised, placebo‐controlled trial

Abstract

Introduction Dental caries is an infectious disease with predominantly of cariogenic bacteria such as Streptococcus mutans (S mutans). Xylitol is considered as one of the effective agents that can limit this dental infection. In this randomised, placebo‐controlled trial, we aimed to evaluate the potential reflection of short‐term xylitol consumption on pro‐inflammatory cytokines (TNF‐α, IL‐6 and IL‐8) and S mutans counts by ELISA and qPCR (Quantitative real‐time PCR), respectively. Methods In this study, 154 participants were assigned to two groups, control and xylitol. Dental examination, saliva and swab samples were done at baseline and at 3‐week for clinical and microbiological assessment. Results In xylitol group at the end of 3‐week, gingival and plaque index scores were significantly decreased with respect to baseline values (P < .001 and P < .05, respectively). The salivary concentration of TNF‐α, IL‐6 and IL‐8 were statistically declined at 3‐week, more so than those at baseline in xylitol group (P < .001). S mutans expression was reduced about fivefold at 3‐week use of xylitol and it was a statistically significant difference compared to baseline (P < .001). Conclusion Intriguingly, even short‐term consumption of xylitol might play a favourable role in maintaining the oral health status, possibly as a result of decreasing the release of pro‐inflammatory cytokines and the counts of S mutans. Nonetheless, this investigation warrants further endorsement.

Effects of xylitol chewing gum and candies on the accumulation of dental plaque: a systematic review

“…All studies included in the review were prospective, randomized, controlled studies published between 1971 and 2020 [38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48][49][50][51]. In the 16 studies included in the review, all participants were classified as healthy by the authors of the studies.…”

“…In one study, the primary outcome measure was the acidogenicity of plaque [49], and in another, caries occurrence [48]. In one of the studies, the stimulated saliva flow rate was the primary outcome measure [47], in one, bleeding on marginal probing [50], and in one, pro-inflammatory cytokines [51]. had a low risk of bias [46,47], two studies [49,50] were scored as having a high risk of bias, and the rest (12 studies) had an unclear risk of bias.…”

“…Since the present review includes studies from the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, it is evident that details concerning for example randomization or blinding were lacking. In fact, only in four studies were the participants randomized on an individual basis using computer-generated randomization [46,47,50,51]. In the study by Mäkinen et al [45], the randomization was done according to kindergarten, which is a practical way to perform chewing gum studies, but may result in some bias.…”

“…In six of the studies, the tested xylitol and control products had been obtained as gifts from various companies without other apparent funding [39,42,44,46,47,51]. Seven studies appeared partly or fully industry-funded resulting in and unclear risk of bias [38,40,43,45,[48][49][50].…”

A Nasal Spray Solution of Grapefruit Seed Extract plus Xylitol Displays Virucidal Activity Against SARS-Cov-2In Vitro

“…In the present study, we have identified two candidate agents with potential activity against SARS-CoV-2 which can be administered intranasally, namely, xylitol and grape seed fruit extract (GSE). Xylitol, a sweetener with antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties, has been shown effective in decreasing the incidence of dental caries and improving chronic rhinitis as well as important microbiota and immunological modulatory effects (Akgül et al, 2020; Haukioja et al, 2008; Weissman et al, 2011; Xu et al, 2016). Xylitol has been reported to have multiple health benefits as well as is generally safe and well-tolerated for most adults in doses up to 35 grams per day and up to 20 grams per day in children (Salli et al, 2019; Storey et al, 2007; Ur-Rehman et al, 2015).…”