Laboratory studies of sweets re‐formulated to improve their dental properties

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the potential dental effects of ten new types of sugar‐free sweets formulated with Lyca‐sin or isomalt as bulk sweeteners instead of sugars. METHODS: Examination of the sweets for their acidity, fermentability by oral microorganisms, influence on the demineralisation of dental enamel, and their influence on human interdental plaque pH. compared with conventional sugar‐containing sweets. FINDINGS: The importance of reducing the levels of flavouring acids in the sweets was demonstrated. It was not straightforward to evaluate chocolate products in this system, but the potential benefits of re‐formulating fruit gums, lollipops, chew‐bars, toffee and fudge with Lycasin or isomalt in place of sugars were shown by determining their reduced acidogenicity and ferment‐ability compared with conventional confectionery. CONCLUSIONS: The extent of demineralisation of dental enamel was related to both the acidity and the fermentability of the sweets. Re‐formulating sweets with reduced acidity levels and bulk sweeteners not fermentable by dental plaque microorganisms can provide a basis for improving their potential dental effects.

Acidogenic Potential of “Sugar-Free” Cough Drops

“…Furthermore, according to the Ecological Plaque Hypothesis frequent and prolonged contact of these sugars with dental plaque alters the microbial composition of plaque in favor of bacteria that are both acidogenic and acid tolerant, thus increasing the cariogenic capacity of dental plaque [5, 6]. Therefore a major effort in food technology has been to produce confections and snack foods in which sucrose has been replaced by sweeteners that are metabolized very slowly or not at all by oral bacteria, the goal being to greatly reduce or eliminate acid production by plaque following consumption of such foods [7, 20]. …”

“…These acidic conditions provide a selective pressure that allows acidogenic and acid-tolerant bacteria such as the mutans streptococci and lactobacilli to become dominant in the dental plaque microbial community, while at the same time suppressing non-cariogenic components of the oral microbiota [5, 6]. Thus, the suppression of acid-producing bacterial metabolism by metabolic inhibitors and the replacement of sucrose with non-fermentable sweeteners in foodstuffs have been among the goals of caries control [2, 5-7]. …”