By Dimitris K

Xylitol is a natural, low-calorie sugar substitute that’s been approved and increasingly used during the last few decades.

Chemically, xylitol is a pentitol (five carbon polyol), or as they are alternatively called, a sugar alcohol. It’s produced mainly from birch and beech wood, and this is the reason that xylitol is commonly called birch or wood sugar. Xylitol has the same organoleptic properties as sugar, meaning that it looks and tastes like sugar. However, it has a number of advantages over sugar. One of the main ones is that it inhibits the creation of dental caries.

The first evidence of xylitol’s beneficial effects in preventing dental caries came from a study conducted in Finland, published during the seventies. After the study came out, several clinical trials were performed to evaluate the potential beneficial effects of xylitol in dental care. Today, we have enough evidence to say with confidence that the use of xylitol, and especially the substitution of xylitol for sugar, can benefit your dental health.

The mechanisms through which xylitol conveys these benefits are both direct and indirect. First of all, the bacteria that inhabit the oral cavity cannot break down and ferment xylitol, unlike sugar. That means that if you substitute xylitol for sugar, the bacteria responsible for creating dental caries are deprived of one of their main sources of energy.

In addition, one of the main reasons that consuming sugars and carbohydrates cause dental problems is that they reduce the pH of the mouth, causing enamel demineralization. The consumption of xylitol, on the other hand, has exactly the opposite effect. It raises the pH of the mouth, protecting tooth enamel from demineralization. It’s also worth noting that since consuming xylitol-sweetened products doesn’t reduce the pH of any plaque, remineralization is promoted.

Another important attribute of xylitol is that it has bacteriostatic effects. That means that xylitol inhibits the growth of especially nasty bacteria like mutans streptococci, which is one of the main culprits when it comes to plaque and dental caries. Why? Scientists believe that when these bacteria take up xylitol, they inadvertently convert it to xylitol-5-phosphate, which causes them to self-destruct. In studies, affected bacteria show intracellular vacuoles and cell membrane degradation.

Finally, a few recent studies have demonstrated that mothers who habitually consume xylitol products — or more precisely, habitually chew xylitol gum — can actually benefit their children’s dental health. The mother’s xylitol consumption appears to reduce the mother-to-child transmission of bacteria that can cause dental problems.

All the above make xylitol a very attractive sugar substitute. Especially since it’s natural, and doesn’t have any known side effects. The most common way of consuming xylitol is by chewing xylitol-sweetened gum. However, any xylitol-sweetened product will have almost the same effects.

Dimitris K. is a nutritionist with an interest in natural sweeteners — especially xylitol.