The Impact of Chewing Gums on the Plaque Index in the Lack of Oral Hygiene Measures in Patients Referred to a Private Dental Clinic

Abstract

Introduction: Nowadays, Chewing Gum is one of the frequent habits among people. The purpose of this study was to compare the effect of two types of chewing gums (with and without sugar) on dental plaque accumulation in the lack of oral hygiene measures. Materials and Methods: In this descriptive cross-sectional study, plaque accumulation during three 4-day periods (with two-week interval) was recorded (Sillness & LÖe Index) in a group of 20 patients in the absence of routine oral hygiene methods. The patients were asked to chew sugar-free Gum (Trident) during the first 4-day period and sugar-containing Gum (Dubble Bubble) during the second 4-day period and stop chewing during the third period. Participants were asked to chew five gum sticks daily after meals for about twenty minutes. The data were statistically analyzed using One Way ANOVA and LSD full form tests. Results: The results showed that both sugar-free and sugar-containing gums reduced the amount of plaque (P<0.001). The comparison of the mean dental plaque accumulation between the two groups indicated that the effect of the sugar-free gum was more significant than that of the sugar-containing one (P<0.001).  Conclusion: Although sugar-free gum is more effective than sugared gum on reducing dental plaque accumulation, chewing sugar-containing gum also decreases the level of dental plaque.