The effect of xylitol and chlorhexidine acetate/xylitol chewing gums on plaque accumulation and gingival inflammation.

Chewing gums may be suitable vehicles for the delivery of xylitol (X) and chlorhexidine acetate (CHX), both of which can aid oral health. The aim of this study was to determine the clinical effectiveness of chewing gums containing X or a combination of X and CHX in a double-blind, randomised, cross over, 5-day clinical trial, with a 9-day washout period in a group of participants over 40 years old. After professional tooth cleaning, 8 subjects (mean age 51.3+/-10.4 years) used in a random order 2 pieces of ACHX (a liquorice flavoured CHX/X) gum, 2 pieces of BCHX (a chocolate mint flavoured CHX/X), 2 pieces of X (a liquorice flavoured X gum) and 1 piece of ACHX. Gums were chewed 2x daily for 15 min and volunteers refrained from all other oral hygiene procedures. Data were analysed using Friedman nonparametric analysis of variance. Plaque indices for chewing 2 pieces of ACHX gum (0.78+/-0.15) and BCHX gum (0.52+/-0.15) were significantly lower (p<0.0006) than for X gum (1.57+/-0.08). The gingival index was significantly greater (p<0.05) for X containing gum than for the other chewing regimes. The subjects' attitudes to the gums were also assessed by structured questionnaires which showed that all gums were easy to chew, did not adhere to dentures, teeth or restorations and that the subjects preferred to chew 2 pellets rather than 1.