Keep Calm & Chew Gum
The primitive proof of humans chewing gum-like materials appears from the union of anthropology and dentistry at an archaeological site in Sweden, where chunks of birch bark tar with tooth imprints of children and adolescents, dating back 9,000 years, have been unearthed. The ancient Greeks appeared to have chewed on a related material, known as mastic, from which the word “mastication” likely originates. Native American Indians and Inuit chewed gum from spruce trees, a practice embraced by the Europeans who settled in New England.
Chewing gum is sugar-free if it has less than 0.5 g of sugars/serving. Gum may be sugar coated with sugar malts such as maltitol, mannitol, sorbitol etc. unlike sugar, these sweeteners are non-cariogenic as they are digested gradually or not at all by cariogenic plaque bacteria. Chewing sugarless gum following mealtime can increase salivary flow by stimulating both involuntary and taste receptors in the mouth. The physical act of chewing incites salivary flow: merely chewing unsweetened, non-flavored chewing gum stimulates the salivary flow rate by 10–12 times. Growing saliva quantity aids to dilute and neutralizing acids formed by the bacteria in plaque on teeth. Over time, these acids can harm tooth enamel, potentially causing decay.
Increased saliva flow brings with it calcium and phosphate which can provide to remineralization of tooth enamel; the existence of fluoride in the saliva can help to restore enamel components magnesium and carbonate with the stronger, more caries-resistant materials. Saliva can defend against the acids in foods or beverages that could soften teeth’s enamel, and consuming excess saliva created by stimulation clears acid. While unstimulated saliva does not have a resilient buffering ability against acid, stimulated saliva has greater concentrations of protein, sodium, calcium, chloride, and bicarbonate increasing its buffering capacity. Moreover, saliva supplies proteins to dental surfaces, producing an acquired enamel pellicle that guards against dental erosion.
While using chewing gum may have demand as a resource of drug delivery, elements such as dose and local effects of active ingredients on the oral cavity may be of concern. Albeit nicotine-containing gums are amongst the first-line pharmacological rehabilitations to help with smoking cessation. In addition, there has been aspirin-containing gum retailed as an over-the counter (OTC) drug, and there are numerous caffeine-containing gums, are commercially accessible. Several methodical journals printed in the last 5 years have suggested that chewing gum may potentially aid in postoperative intestinal obstructions resulting in several forms of surgical mediations. (e.g., colorectal, gastrointestinal, gynecologic, urological).
Lastly, in the 2021 update to the ASCO clinical practice guidelines speaking about Xerostomia brought on by non-surgical cancer treatments, a quoted methodical analysis comprised both sugar-free lozenges or chewing gum amongst the suggested interventions to aid with Xerostomia occurrence subsequently to cancer treatment by chemotherapy or radiotherapy.
