Resources For Dental Professionals
The Science
Preventive dentistry is the call of our profession.
Independent research supported by Wrigley funding has continued to have an impact on the oral care arena for nearly 90 years. Through a fellowship with Northwestern University in the United States in the 1930s, researchers discovered the dental health benefits of chewing gum and continued to explore that relationship in the following decades. In the 1980s, groundbreaking research proved that chewing gum helps stimulate saliva production, a key element in reducing harmful plaque acids. In the 1990s Wrigley also supported research that validated the role sugarfree chewing gum can play in caries reduction. In recent years the FDI World Dental Federation and more than 25 national dental associations have recognized the strength of the scientific evidence which supports chewing sugarfree gum, and the FDI has granted the use of its logo on Wrigley packs. And in 2009, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) approved claims that sugar-free chewing gum can help neutralize plaque acids, remineralize tooth enamel and reduce oral dryness. In 2017, Wrigley funded research is published in the American Journal of Dentistry, indicating that chewing one additional piece of sugar-free gum a day, as part of a complete oral hygiene routine, could lead to significant savings in dental care costs worldwide.
A wealth of clinical evidence supports the oral health benefits of sugar-free gum, revealing how gum enhances production of saliva and helps with:
All of which can help to reduce the incidence of dental caries.1,2
The above information also may be found in the quick science reference guide
Sugar-free chewing gum in oral health: A Clinical Overview
1 Stookey GK. The effect of saliva on dental caries. J Am Dent Assoc. 2008;139(Suppl.2):11S–17S.
2 Dawes C, Macpherson LM. Effects of nine different chewing gums and lozenges on salivary flow rate and pH. Caries Res. 1992;26:176–82.
WOHP has supported independent clinical research into the benefits of chewing gum for more than 25 years.
Global health economic data suggests that increasing sugar-free gum consumption could reduce global dental expenditures from treating tooth decay by US$4.1 billion a year. Download Infographic (PDF) and Economic Benefits Study (PDF)
Independent research supported by Wrigley funding has continued to have an impact on the oral care arena for nearly 90 years.
