What is Xerostomia?

 Xerostomia is the medical term for a dry mouth due to the lack of saliva

Xerostomia can lead to a bad breath, a dramatic rise in the number of cavities as the protective effect of saliva is no longer present, and can make the mouth more vulnerable to infection and ulceration

Types of Xerostomia

REVERSIBLE

Reduction in salivary gland function

IRREVERSIBLE

Salivary glands produce NO saliva (Sjögren’s Syndrome, radiotherapy treatment)

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Salivary glands

How to relief Xerostomia? Chewing

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Xylitol

Chewing sugarfree gum, increases salivary flow in patients with

xerostomia by up to 7 times

Xylitol is proven to prevent harmful

bacteria from growing and harmful plaque from building up on

teeth

Which active ingredients can help with Xerostomia?

ENZYMES

Like lactoperoxidase, lysozyme or lactoferrin

ACIDS

Like malic acid or ascorbic acid

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Mastication is agreed to be the main reason for saliva stimulation during gum chewing

Furthermore intensity of mastication is positively related to salivary flow

Is chewing gum effective in stimulating salivary flow?

A study into the effects of chewing duration and frequency on the flow rate of whole saliva, by the International and American Association for Dental Research, revealed that salivary flow rate peaked during the first minute of chewing

Studies: chewing gum and salivary flow rate

The flow rate was independent of chewing frequency within a range of 35 to 130 chewing maneuvers per minute

The influence of sample size (weight) of chewing gum on saliva flow was assessed by means of gums weighing from 1 to 9 g

The 1-g piece led to a four-fold, the 9-g piece to a 13-fold increase in salivary flow

The size of a piece of chewing gum can have a significant influence on salivary flow rate

Studies: chewing gum and salivary flow rate

Chewing gum is a potent and fast stimulant of salivary flow rate, being a very effective way to relief Xerostomia

The addition of specific active ingredients- acids or enzymes- in the gum can also improve such positive effects

Cafosa presents Health in Gum®, the ideal excipient to formulate and produce medicated chewing gum by direct compression, using standard pharmaceutical equipment

The best option to your new medicated chewing gum against Xerostomia

Conclusion

Sources:EFSA Journal

Cro.sagepub.comDentaid.com

Medicalnewstoday.comWrigley