Volume 7 • 2020 • Issue 5

Research Recap: Sugar-Free Gum Reduces Dental Caries Researchers from King’s College London conducted a meta-analysis of 12 studies published over the last 40 years that explored the impact of sugar‑free chewing gum on oral health. Q You have said that the specific relationship between the development of dental caries and chewing sugar-free gumhad not previously been explored. Is there aworking hypothesis that could be tested? Dr. Avijit Banerjee (AB): The research team, amongst other researchers in the field, do most certainly feel there is a link between chewing sugar-free gum and significantly reducing the development of new carious lesions. The caries process is a complex one with many interlinked causative factors, the relevance of each being subtlely different in different individuals. Chewing “medicated” sugar-free gum for periods around mealtimes seems a logical approach to affect several of these factors—the plaque biofilm, salivary flow, and others—in such a way as to reduce the future incidence of dental caries. Q What surprised you during the research process? AB: When compiling the review, it was clear, that even though there were many studies carried out over the review period of approximately 40 years, there was a high level of variation, or heterogeneity, between the studies that made developing meaningful conclusions a little tricky. Q You’ve said that there was “a considerable degree of variability in the effect from the published data.” What kind of variation did you see? AB: Because the studies are non-standardized, so are their outcomes. This is called heterogeneity of the data. Complex statistical methods are applied to try to iron out some of the wrinkles from the collated data sets, but this can only go so far. Research: Results: Chewing sugar-free gum reduces the incidence of dental caries by 28%. Sugar‑free gum could be used as a possible preventive agent when used alongside oral health education and supervised toothbrushing initiatives. We asked lead researcher Dr. Avijit Banerjee , professor of Cariology and Operative Dentistry at King’s College London, a few questions about the meta-analysis. 20 | 2020 | Issue 5