Dental caries prevalence · Nigerian individuals, including children and adults, with primary or permanent dentition
High-frequency sugar consumption was associated with 18% higher but non-significant odds of dental caries in Nigeria (OR 1.18, 95% CI 0.87 to 1.59; I2=36%; ungraded).
1 finding from 1 review
Plaque · Adults and children (predominantly adults; one study in children), with natural dentition
Sugar-free chewing gum significantly reduced plaque quantity versus no-gum/control (SMD -0.778, 95% CI -1.167 to -0.390), with high heterogeneity (I2 = 86.6%) and no GRADE rating (ungraded).
2 findings from 1 review
Early childhood caries (ECC) · Children aged 0-5 years in North Africa
Nighttime sugary food intake was associated with higher odds of ECC (OR 1.104; source CI garbled).
1 finding from 1 review
OR 1.104 [1.167, 2.826]
1 study
GRADE not reported
Streptococcus mutans load in the oral cavity (saliva and/or dental plaque) · Adults and children (general population)
Xylitol-only sugar-free gum significantly reduced Streptococcus mutans load versus pooled controls (SMD -0.46, 95% CI -0.64 to -0.28; 12 trials, I2 43%); certainty not formally graded.
1 finding from 1 review
Streptococcus mutans load in the oral cavity (saliva and/or dental plaque) · Adults and children (general population)
In a sensitivity analysis assuming a 0.95 baseline-to-endpoint correlation for the sugar-free gum arm, the effect remained significant (SMD -0.55, 95% CI -0.80 to -0.30; 13 trials, I2 73%); certainty not formally graded.
2 findings from 1 review
Energy intake · general population
1 finding from 1 review
Overweight · general population
1 finding from 1 review
Obesity · general population
1 finding from 1 review
Change in Mutans streptococci (MS) count in saliva · healthy people
Xylitol and sorbitol did not differ significantly for Mutans streptococci in saliva (SMD -0.16, 95% CI -0.44 to 0.12; 2 trials, P=.25); not GRADE-rated.
1 finding from 1 review
Change in Mutans streptococci (MS) count in dental plaque · healthy people
Xylitol significantly reduced Mutans streptococci in dental plaque compared with no treatment (SMD -0.73, 95% CI -1.09 to -0.37; 5 trials, I2=53%; not GRADE-rated).
1 finding from 1 review
Change in Mutans streptococci (MS) count in dental plaque · healthy people
Xylitol reduced Mutans streptococci in dental plaque more than sorbitol (SMD -0.45, 95% CI -0.69 to -0.21; 4 trials, I2=7%); not GRADE-rated.
1 finding from 1 review
Self-reported thirst · Elderly (>60 years) and medically compromised adults with xerostomia / dry mouth
Gum chewing reduced self-reported thirst in most studies (6 of 7 positive, 1 no effect); not meta-analyzed.
1 finding from 1 review
Salivary flow rate · Elderly (>60 years) and medically compromised adults with xerostomia / dry mouth
Across 19 studies the effect of gum chewing on stimulated and/or unstimulated salivary flow rate was mixed (9 positive, 10 no effect); this broad outcome was not meta-analyzed.
1 finding from 1 review
The effect of gum chewing on xerostomia and salivary flow rate in elderly and medically compromised subjects: a… 2023 All outcomesVarious (single session to 12 months) · Haemodialysis units, elderly / geriatric care, cancer and palliative care, and xerostomia / hyposalivation clinics (studies from multiple countries)
Narrative vote-count: of 19 studies measuring stimulated and/or unstimulated saliva flow rate, 9 found a positive effect of gum chewing [17,18,22,24,27,35,36,38,39] and 10 detected no effect…
19 studies
GRADE not reported
Oral mucosal moisture · Elderly (>60 years) and medically compromised adults with xerostomia / dry mouth
One small study found that chewing hard (but not soft) gum increased oral mucosal moisture.
1 finding from 1 review
Salivary flow rate (unstimulated) · Elderly (>60 years) and medically compromised adults with xerostomia / dry mouth
In elderly and medically compromised people with xerostomia, chewing sugar-free gum daily for two or more weeks produces a small but statistically significant increase in unstimulated whole salivary flow rate versus no gum (SMD 0.44, 95% CI 0.22 to 0.66); certainty of evidence was not formally graded.
1 finding from 1 review
Dry mouth (xerostomia) · Elderly (>60 years) and medically compromised adults with xerostomia / dry mouth
Gum chewing was linked with improved self-reported xerostomia / dry mouth in most studies (12 of 17 positive, 5 no effect); heterogeneous instruments precluded meta-analysis.
1 finding from 1 review
The effect of gum chewing on xerostomia and salivary flow rate in elderly and medically compromised subjects: a… 2023 All outcomesVarious (single session to 3 months) · Haemodialysis units, elderly / geriatric care, cancer and palliative care, and xerostomia / hyposalivation clinics (studies from multiple countries)
Narrative vote-count: of 17 studies measuring self-reported xerostomia / dry mouth, 12 found a positive effect of gum chewing [18,19,21,23,24,25,26,27,30,31,38,40] and 5 detected no effect [17,29,33,34,37]. No study…
17 studies
GRADE not reported
Dental erosion · Five-year-old preschool children in Sharjah
Sugary or carbonated beverage consumption was associated with lower odds of dental erosion.
1 finding from 1 review
Dental caries · Individuals in East Africa assessed for dental caries
Frequent carbohydrate intake was associated with significantly higher odds of dental caries (OR 1.575, 95% CI 1.13 to 3.051); certainty not graded.
1 finding from 1 review
Dental caries · Healthy children and adolescents in the United Arab Emirates
Higher snacking and soft-drink/sugar consumption were associated with more caries in most studies, though one study found no association with sweet-consumption frequency (narrative synthesis; not GRADE-rated).
1 finding from 1 review
Soft drink consumption (Khadri et al.: 0.31, 95% CI 0.14-0.47) and a high extent of snacking (Hashim et al.: high vs low snack level aRR 1.46, 95% CI 1.26-1.70; snacking >=3x vs once daily aRR 1.25, 1.00-1.57) were…
Studies not reported
GRADE not reported
Caries development in permanent teeth · School children and adolescents (6-18 years) followed from primary dentition (baseline examination before 72 months of age)
Early-childhood oral hygiene and dietary habits show inconsistent associations with permanent-teeth caries, often losing significance after adjustment for past caries (2 studies; not pooled; not GRADE-rated).
1 finding from 1 review