Xylitol products
Place in Therapy
Xylitol is a sugar alcohol that stimulates saliva, which may act as a relief agent for dry mouth for patients who have functioning salivary glands.<1> Patients are recommended to chew sugarless gum or to have sugarless hard candies that are substituted with xylitol to help stimulate saliva flow.<2> Xylitol can also be used to prevent dental caries because of its mechanism to reduce bacterial adhesiveness<1> and acidity that predisposes the mouth to acid-producing bacteria such as Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacillus.<3> Patients with dry mouth are at high risk of developing dental caries due to a reduction in saliva that is normally responsible for neutralizing the pH of the mouth and naturally cleansing the mouth.<3> Because of this, Xylitol can play two roles for dry mouth patients; alleviating symptoms and preventing dental caries.
There is currently more evidence in the literature to support the use of Xylitol in preventing dental caries rather than for relieving dry mouth symptoms. More studies are needed to determine if saliva stimulation in dry mouth is due to the use of Xylitol or the physiologic gustatory stimulation of chewing gum or sucking hard candies. However, due to proposed beneficial mechanisms and convenient dosage forms, the use of Xylitol in dry mouth patients is promising. Its cooling sweet taste allows it to be easily incorporated into candies and gum that can be conveniently used.<4> These products can be found in pharmacies or ordered online with Canadian distributors.
References:
There is currently more evidence in the literature to support the use of Xylitol in preventing dental caries rather than for relieving dry mouth symptoms. More studies are needed to determine if saliva stimulation in dry mouth is due to the use of Xylitol or the physiologic gustatory stimulation of chewing gum or sucking hard candies. However, due to proposed beneficial mechanisms and convenient dosage forms, the use of Xylitol in dry mouth patients is promising. Its cooling sweet taste allows it to be easily incorporated into candies and gum that can be conveniently used.<4> These products can be found in pharmacies or ordered online with Canadian distributors.
References:
- Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database. Xylitol. www.naturaldatabase.com Accessed July 9, 2013.
- Kyritsis V. Chapter 95: Dry Mouth. In Repchinsky C ed. Patient Self-Care. 2nd ed. Ottawa, ON: Canadian Pharmacists Association; 2010: 910-917.
- Su N, Marek CL, Ching V, et al. Caries Prevention for Patients with Dry Mouth. J Can Dent Assoc. 2011; 77: b85.
- Xlear. The Spry Dental Defense System. http://www.xlear.com/xylitol-products/spry/ Accessed July 9, 2013.