A patient talking with a team member in the chair during a dental exam visit at Broadway Dentistry in Fort Wayne

Xylitol – Reducing Cavities

Tooth decay is a common, yet preventable childhood problem: untreated cavities in baby and adult teeth become painful and harm how teeth look and work. Some children get cavities even with regular dental examinations and oral care at home, and the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) has recognized the benefits of Xylitol for reducing childhood tooth decay.

What is Xylitol?

Xylitol is a natural substance found in fruits and vegetables such as berries, mushrooms, corn and lettuce. Studies show that 4–20 grams a day, split into three or more helpings, can reduce tooth decay and cavities; a cup of berries holds a little under one gram.

Since few children (especially toddlers) will eat four or more cups of fruit or vegetables a day, Xylitol also comes as a sugar substitute, a gum and a concentrate in many health foods. No other sugar substitute has been shown to benefit young teeth the same way. More than the recommended amount gives no extra protection, but sticking to it supports other cavity-prevention efforts, with effects that last well into the future.

Dr. Acosta reviewing a patient chart with her team at Broadway Dentistry, a general dentistry office in Fort Wayne, Indiana

How does Xylitol work?

Many factors raise a child’s risk of decay: oral care habits, diet, carbohydrate and sucrose intake, saliva flow and the tooth’s resistance to plaque. Oral bacteria feed on sugars and carbohydrates and produce acids that attack enamel. Xylitol neutralizes those acids and stimulates saliva, which keeps washing away food, plaque and bacteria. Used with fluoride, it helps remineralize teeth, protecting enamel and minimizing new cavities.

Dr. Denise Acosta and a team member laughing with a young patient in a treatment room at Broadway Dentistry in Fort Wayne, where fillings and crowns are done

A smiling patient in the chair at Broadway Dentistry in Fort Wayne, which offers cosmetic dentistry and whitening

When should my child start using Xylitol?

Xylitol gum is not suitable for very young children, but infants benefit from their mother chewing it. Mothers of children aged three months to two years who chewed Xylitol gum several times a day protected their child from tooth decay until age five, by reducing the microorganisms passed from mother to child.

Toddlers can have Xylitol as a sugar substitute or from fruit and vegetables, and older children can chew Xylitol gum. If you have questions about Xylitol or tooth decay, please contact our office.