Smile: Gum With Sugar May Be Fine

When it comes to tooth decay, sugared chewing gum has gotten a bad reputation. But based on his recent study, a University of Iowa dentist says it’s just as effective as sugarless gum in neutralizing decay-causing acids--provided it’s chewed only for about 20 minutes.

Dr. Mark Jensen, director of the center for clinical studies and associate professor of dentistry at the University of Iowa College of Dentistry, asked eight people to chew two kinds of sugared gum and one sugarless gum after eating a well-balanced meal. Then he measured the pH level of their plaque, the transparent bacterial film on teeth. “The lower the plaque pH, the worse it is for the tooth in terms of decay,” explained Jensen, who presented his findings at a recent dental research meeting.

His conclusion: “Either sugared or sugarless gum chewed after a meal would be helpful in reversing the acid attack created by the bacteria in plaque. The amount of sugar contained in chewing gum disappears within a few minutes and it, in essence, becomes a sugarless gum.” (Jensen still recommends a sugarless gum be chewed between meals.)

Meanwhile, at least two manufacturers now offer chewing gum intended to boost Vitamin C intake. C-60 chewing gum, introduced earlier this year by Purdue Frederick Co., a Norwalk, Conn.-based pharmaceutical company, has 60 milligrams of Vitamin C per piece, said spokesman Howard Schwartz. (The U.S. Recommended Daily Allowance of Vitamin C is 60 milligrams for an adult.) CHEW-C-GUM, manufactured by Healthy Ideas Inc. of Bricktown, N.J., has about 30 mg of Vitamin C per piece, said president Arnold Grayzel. Suggested retail prices: 59 cents for a 10-pack of CHEW-C-GUM and 89 cents for a 20-pack of C-60.