In the quest to lower the occurrence of tooth decay, seeking out healthier alternative sweeteners is a big factor. Since conventional refined sugars are one of your mouth’s bigger enemies, finding a way to make your candy taste sweet without exposing you to the same danger of tooth rot is the holy grail for some food manufacturers. A substance known as xylitol has shown some potential in this arena, representing a sweetener that has been shown to cause less damage to your teeth than sugar. In fact, some are going so far as to claim that xylitol actually serves to kill off oral bacteria to further protect your teeth. But are these claims legitimate?
To answer this question, researchers attempted ten studies involving almost six thousand participants, wherein some were instructed to use a toothpaste containing xylitol. From these studies, the researchers found “low-quality evidence” that those who used the xylitol toothpaste had 13% less tooth decay than those using conventional fluoride toothpaste. Not only is this not enough to make any conclusive rulings on xylitol’s potential to prevent decay, but the studies also failed to explore the chemical’s side effects.
You can learn more about proper dental care from our Lynnwood dentistry clinic.
