XyliMelts by ORAHEALTH
Product description, function and scientific studies
XyliMelts is a new product by ORAHEALTH for time-release of xylitol in the mouth to benefit oral health. To make XyliMelts, natural xylitol is mixed with vegetable gums to slow dissolution in the mouth and then formed into domes. The flat side of each dome is coated with another vegetable gum so that the dome may be adhered to a molar or the gums beside a molar. The features are:
- 500 mg xylitol released in the mouth over .5 to 2 hours, 1.2 calories
- Inhibits growth of bacteria that cause plaque, tooth decay, ear infections and sinus infections
- Stimulates saliva flow
- Discretely sticks to teeth or gums
- No effect on talking or appearance
- Time release lasts longer than gum or candies
- Can be used with braces or dentures
POTENTIAL BENEFITS OF XYLITOL:
When maintained in sufficient concentrations in the mouth during effective times each day, xylitol has been shown to yield revolutionary benefits for oral health. Xylitol is known to:
1. Prevent tooth decay by suppresing the causative bacteria, Streptococcus mutans (SM) and reducing plaque.1
2. Reduce plaque in the mouth, 2 which helps reduce tooth decay, gum disease and bad breath.
3. Promote saliva flow,3 which helps maintain healthy teeth and reduce gum disease and bad breath.
4. Reduce inner ear infections (behind the ear drum) by suppressing the common causative bacteria, Streptococcus pneumoniae (SP) and Haemophilus influenzae (HI) and reducing their adherence to human tissues.4
5. Suppress appetite: When used before a meal, xylitol reducces typical caloric consumption during the meal by more than the calories in the xylitol.5
6. Reduce tooth decay in children: When used in the mouths of caregivers during pregnancy and the first two years of a child's life, xylitol reduces tooth decay in the child by sppressing the causative bacteria in the caregiver's mouths so that the bacteria do not colonize in the child's mouth.6
XYLITOL USE MAY OFFER THE FOLLOWING ADDITIONAL BENEFITS, which, as of January 2007, are not yet proven:
7. Reduced sinus infections: Because the bacteria that cause most sinus infections also cause most ear infections and because the sinuses are connected to the oral cavity like the inner ear, it is possible that reular use of xylitol in the mouth will significantly suppress the causative bacteria of sinus infectinos.7
8. Reduced bad breath and gum disease: In addition to helping reduce bad breath and gum disease by reducing plaque and promoting saliva flow, xylitol may also suppress species of bacteria that significantly contribute to bad breath and gum disease.8
9. Reduced chances of cardiovascular disease: New research shows that Streptococcus mutans (SM) is the predominant bacteria in plaque adhered to heart valves and in the arteries.9 It appears that SM causes most of the plaque and that SM gets into the blood from the mouth. It may be that people who do not already have SM living in their blood will reduce the chances that it will enter their blood if they suppress SM in their mouths, such as by regularly having appropriate levels of xylitol in their mouths. Lifelong cardiovascular risk for newborns may be reduced if caregivers regularly use xylitol during pregnancy and the first two years of the child's life to prevent SM bacteria from colonizing in the child's mouth.
10. Whiter teeth: Dental plaque absorbs stains. Xylitol reduces plaque2 and therefore should reduce stains.
The U.S.Food and Drug Administration has not yet evaluated these statements.
USING XYLIMELTS TO ACHIEVE THE BENEFITS:
Prior xylitol delivery methods are inefficient
Studies show that, for most people, one gram of xylitol delivered five times pre day in chewing gum is sufficient to achieve the benefits.10 However, when delivered in typical chewing gum or candies, xylitol quickly dissolves and is swallowed, after which it does no good for oral health. With typical prior xylitol delivery methods, a person needs to chew 5-7 pieces of gum or consume 20 candies per day. For many people, this is impractical or impossible.
The XyliMelts approach optimizes xylitol delivery
XyliMelts require no chewing or sucking. They slowly release xylitol over 30 minutes to 2 hours at typical levels of saliva flow during the day, longer at night time levels of saliva flow. The flat, dark side is coated with a vegetable gum so they may be adhered to a tooth or gums to avoid distracting movement.
To get the same benefits as chewing on gram of xylitol gum five times per day, we estimate that people should use one XyliMelts after each meal, snack, or sugared drink, at least four domes per day. The research on how much to use is not yet complete. It may be that less is effective and it may be that more is required to achieve some of the benefits. When the research is complete, we will publish it on our website, www.orahealth.com.
Xylitol selectively inhibits some harmful bacteria. When SM, SP and HI bacteria (and likely other species as well) absorb xylitol, it stops them from reproducing, allowing other beneficial or less harmful bacteria to reproduce in their place. The unwanted bacteria absorb xylitol as a preferred food instead of of absorbing other available food. Because they were not exposed to xylitol during their evolution, the bacteria can not digest xylitol, so they starve.
In these harmful bacteria, the sugar absorption mechanisms favor certain sugars over others. Xylitol is favored over all other kinds of sugars except fructose.11 That is, when xylitol is present, as well as other sugars (other than fructose), the bacteria will absorb the xylitol in place of the other sugars, which starves them. When fructose is present as well, the bacteria will absorb fructose over all other sugars. For this reason, XyliMelts are most effective if consumption of fructose is avoided while a XyliMelts dome is dissolving and for about an hour after.
DIRECTIONS:
Use after each meal, snack, or sugared drink, at least four domes per day. Place a dome in your cheek and leave undisturbed until dissolved. You may remove it for eating and replace it after eating. Do not chew. Do not consume fructose (in fruit and added to many sweet drinks and foods) until one hour later. If you wish, you may adhere the flat, dark side to teeth or gums to minimize movement. It is best to alternate which cheek the dome is placed in. Use either in the lower part of your cheek or the upper part.
WARNINGS:
- Not recommended for children under age 5 due to risk of choking
- Do not use while sleeping if you might pry it loose with your tongue - risk of choking
- Do not give xylitol to dogs or other pets
OTHER INGREDIENTS: vegetable gums, calcium stearate, and nothing else. CONTAINS NO: fat, animal products, fermentable sugar, color, flavoring, salt, or preservatives and no products of nuts, corn, wheat, rice, grain, gluten, soy, egg, fish, shellfish, milk, or yeast.
CARBOHYDRATE EXCHANGE FOR DIABETES: Xylitol raises blood-glucose half as much per unit weight as typical carbohydrates
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
Can I use XyliMelts instead of, or in addition to, fluoride? Although evidence shows that the dental benefits of fluoride far outweight the risks, there are still people who choose to avoid fluoride. For them, XyliMelts is an alternative. And, when xylitol and fluoride are used together, each makes the other more effective in the fight against tooth decay.12
Do XyliMelts cause indigestion or diarrhea? If their systems are not used to it, many people find that they have gut discomfort when they eat more tha 50 to 90 grams of xylitol.13 However, the time-release deliverty system of XyliMelts allows a small amount of xylitol to be effective (less than 10 grams), eliminating all risk of discomfort.
SOURCES
1. Ly KA, Milgrom, P, Rothen M; Xylitol, sweeteners, and dental caries; Pediatric Dentistry; 2006 Mar-Apr;28(2): 154-63
2. Badet MC; Effect of xylitol on a model of oral biofilm; Journal of Dental Research 86(Special Issue A):abstract num. 1162, 2007. Makinen KK, isotupa KP, Makinen PL, Soderling E, Song KB, Nam SH, Jeong SH; Six-month polyol chewing-gum programme in kindergarten-age children: a feasability study focusing on mutans streptococci and dental plaque; International Dental Journal 2005 Apr;55(2):81-8
3. Makinen KK; New biochemical aspects of sweeteners; International Dental Journal. 1985 Mar; 35(1):23-35
4. Uhari M, Tapiainen T, Kontiokari T; Xylitol in preventing acute otitis media; Vaccine. 2000 Dec 8; 19 Suppl 1: S144-7
5. King NA, Craig SA, Pepper T, Blundell JE; Evaluation of the independent and combined effects of xylitol and polydextrose consumed as a snack on hunger and energy intake over 10 d; Br J Nutr. 2005 Jun;93(6):911-5
6. Soderling E, Osokangas P, Pienihakkinen K, Tenovuo J, Alanen P; Influence of maternal xylitol consumption on mother-child transmission of mutans streptococci: 6-year follow-up; Caries Res. 2001 May-Jun;35(3):173-7. Thorild I, Lindau B, Twetman S; Caries in 4-year-old children after maternal chewing of gums containing combinations of xylitol, sorbitol, chlorhexidine and fluoride; Eur Arch Paediatr Dent. 2006 Dec; 7(4):241-5.
7. Brown CL, Graham SM, Cable BB, Ozer EA, Taft PJ, Zabner J; Xylitol enhances bacterial killing in the rabbit maxillary sinus; Laryngoscope. 2004 Nov;114(11):2021-4. Benninger M, Brook I, Farrell DJ; Disease severity in acute bacterial rhinosinusitis is greater in patients infected with Streptococcus pneumoniae than in those infected with Haemophilus influenzae; Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2006 Oct; 135(4): 523-8
8. Han SJ, Jeong Sy, Nam YJ, Yang KH, Lim HS, Chung J; Xylitol inhiits inflammatory cytokine expressino induced by lipopolysaccharide from Prophyromonas gingivalis; Clin Diagn Lab Immunol. 2005 Nov; 12(11): 1285-91 (periodontis).
9. Nakano K, Inaba H, et al.; Detection of cariogenic Streptococcus mutans in extirpated heart valve and atheromatous plaque specimens; J Clin Microbiol. 2006 Sep;44(9):3313-7.
10. Makinen KK, Isotupa KP, Makinen PL, Soderling E, Song KB, Nam SH, Jeong SH; Six-month polyol chewing-gum programme in kindergarten-age children: a feasability study focusing on mutans streptococci and dental plaque; Int Dent J. 2005 Apr; 55(2):81-8.
11. Tapiainen T, Kontiokari T, Sammalkivi L, Ikaheimo I, Koskela M, Uhari M; Effect of xylitol on grwth of Streptococcus pneumoniae in the presence of fructose and sorbitol; Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2001 Jan;45(1):166-9
12. Goncalves N, Rosalen PL, Cury JA; Effect of xylitol on the growth and acid production by Stretococcus mutans; J Dent Des 81(Special Issue A): abstract num. 2798, 2002.
13. Burt BA; The use of sorbitol-and xylitol-sweetened chewing gum in caries control; J Am Dental Assoc; 2006 Feb; 137(2):190-6.