13 Sep

Sucrose Substitutes: A London Dentist Gives Advise

Your London dentist can help you pick the best sugar substitute. The polyol class of sugar substitutes contain the smallest amount of acidity. These include xylitol, sorbitol, and mannitol. Xylitol is a polyol that has the same sweet taste as sugar, but is not fermentable by the bacteria that causes dental caries, S mutans. When xylitol is used in chewing gums or certain foods, it does not have the same cavity causing activity as foods and gum that contain sugar. As a matter of fact, when young adults used 6-7 g of chewing gum that contained xylitol for 1 year, there was an eighty percent lowering of dental caries incidence when compared to the sugar gum chewing group. Therefore, xylitol containing products can gratify the desire for sweets, single out S mutans, and appreciably decrease the occurrence of dental caries. It is also known to have saliva-stimulating properties. If you have any questions about sugar substitutes, visit or call your London dentist to get answers.