EFFECT OF CHEWING POLYOLS GUMS ON THE ACCUMULATION OF DENTAL PLAQUE AROUND ORTHODONTIC BRACKETS

EFEK MENGUNYAH PERMEN KARET POLYOL TERHADAP AKUMULASI PLAK DI SEKITAR PERLEKATAN BRAKET

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the effect of xylitol compared to sorbitol as polyols chewing gum on the plaque
accumulation during treatment with fixed orthodontic appliances. This clinical trial comprised 20 healthy orthodontic
patients aged 18 –to-30-years old. The subjects were randomly assigned into 2 groups: xylitol group (n=10) and sorbitol
group (n-10). The subjects were instructed to chew 2 pieces of tested chewing gum three times everyday for a 14-days
period of experiment. The xylitol gum contained of 1300 mg xylitol per serving (2 pieces of gum) while the sorbitol gum
was sweetened with sorbitol. At baseline and after 14 days the plaque were collected from bucco-cervical surfaces around
brackets of premolar and front teeth and then dried weigh. The result of this study showed that the means of plaque
weight in the xylitol group at baseline and after 14 days were 2.75 mg ± 2.59 mg and 0.92 mg ± 1.23 mg respectively,
while the means of plaque weight in the sorbitol group at baseline and after 14 days were: 2.13 mg ± 0.94 mg and 2.37
mg ± 0.89 mg respectively. After one way ANOVA and post hoc test, there was no difference between plaque weight in
both groups at baseline (p=0.2) while the plaque weight in the xylitol group was significantly lower than the sorbitol
group after 14 days (p < 0.01). In conclusion, 14-days use of xylitol- containing chewing gums, corresponding to a daily
amount of 4 grams of xylitol, could eliminate the plaque accumulation in fixed orthodontic patients.