A piece of good news to 'chew' on

MANILA, Philippines - Notwithstanding the enjoyment it gives, chewing gum has not exactly enjoyed a positive image in the past decades.

Excuse the pun but aside from its deemed social inappropriateness, this chewy piece of confectionary has indeed become “bad-mouthed” for its detrimental effects on oral and dental health such as tooth decay and dental malformation among kids.

The truth is, this is not true. With the advent of sugar-free dental health gum that contains xylitol, a sugar substitute with calcium phosphate without the carbs that ferment the teeth and contribute to teeth breakdown, chewing gum is now good news for children’s gums.

Sugar, being the culprit in regular chewing gum, can adversely affect oral health in general as confirmed by pediatric dentist Dr. Fina Gupit-Lopez: “Sugars are actually fermentable carbohydrates which bacteria chemically react with to form acids. The resulting acidic environment affects the teeth’s enamel or protective shell. When this happens, this outer covering breaks down and leads to tooth decay.”

Philippine Dental Association’s Committee on Public Health chairman Angelo Fernandez supports this by saying that chewing a dental health gum promotes “re-mineralization,” a process that brings back lost minerals to the teeth.

Because re-mineralization can be stimulated by chewing gum with xylitol, dental health gums are recognized by the American Academy of Pediatrics as effective in preventing tooth decay.

That’s why now, moms have nothing less to worry about while their kids have more to smile about when it comes to chewing gum. And for that, Lotte Xylitol is highly recommended.

As the first dental health gum in the Philippines, Lotte Xylitol (as the name suggests) has xylitol that stops the growth of cavity-causing bacteria to help reduce the risk of tooth decay while freshening breath and reducing stains and plaque build-up for whitening teeth. What’s more, it has 40 percent less the calories of sucrose or table sugar and yet just as sweet.

With its xylitol content and benefits, it’s no surprise that Lotte Xylitol has earned the approval of the Philippine Dental Association in line with its efforts to help promote good oral health and dental hygiene among children all over the country.

In fact, Lotte Xylitol has just finished its first wave in schools in the National Capital Region, the Visayas and Mindano and will be visiting students in Luzon and the rest of the country in the second wave.

“It’s like going back to basics,” Fernandez said, “… a must to maintain the Four Habits of Good Oral Hygiene which are: eating a well-balanced diet; brushing, flossing and chewing dental health gum with xylitol; using a fluoride toothpaste; and visiting your dentist twice a year... We hope to inculcate these positive habits to the young minds.”

Lotte Xylitol is available in fresh mint, lime mint and blueberry mint flavors at leading drugstores and supermarkets nationwide.