The science behind chewing gum

Saliva is a key area within oral care research, and many researchers are making new explorations and advances that will help pave the way forward.

- Dr. Kirsten Limesand, Immediate Past President of the IADR Salivary Research Group

Independent research supported by Wrigley funding has continued to have an impact on the oral care arena for nearly 80 years. Through a fellowship with Northwestern University in the United States in the 1930s, researchers discovered the dental health benefits of chewing sugarfree gum and continued to explore that relationship in the following decades. In the 1980s, groundbreaking research proved that chewing sugarfree gum helps stimulate saliva production, a key element in reducing harmful plaque acids. In the 1990s Wrigley also supported research that validated the role sugarfree chewing gum can play in caries reduction. In recent years the FDI World Dental Federation and more than 25 national dental associations have recognized the strength of the scientific evidence which supports chewing sugarfree gum, and the FDI has granted the use of its logo on Wrigley packs. And in 2009, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) approved claims that sugarfree chewing gum can help neutralize plaque acids, remineralize tooth enamel and reduce oral dryness.

Research shows that chewing sugarfree gum can help protect teeth in a number of ways:

  • Stimulating saliva flow: By stimulating saliva production, chewing sugarfree gum can be an important defense mechanism to help protect teeth
  • Reducing plaque: Chewing sugarfree gum has been associated with a reduction in the quantity and development of plaque on teeth and a reduction in the acid-forming ability of plaque
  • Neutralizing acids: Salivary stimulation by chewing sugarfree gum after snacks or meals that contained fermentable carbohydrates has been demonstrated to neutralize plaque acids
  • Remineralizing enamel: Stimulated saliva helps to restore minerals in tooth enamel, as levels of calcium and phosphate ions in the saliva increase due to stimulation caused by chewing sugarfree gum
  • Cleaning the mouth of food debris: Chewing sugarfree gum increases the rate of food debris clearance from teeth compared with not chewing gum during the initial 15 minutes after eating
  • Relieving dry mouth discomfort: Stimulation of salivary flow caused by chewing gum can relieve some of the discomfort of dry mouth. In fact, chewing sugarfree gum has been shown to be one of the most preferred treatments for dry mouth

The above information also may be found in the quick science reference guide

Orbit pH Curve