Medicated
gum helps boost seniors' oral health
By: Unknown Author
Reuters, August 6, 2002
NEW
YORK (Reuters Health) - Older adults can lower their risk of developing
oral infections by chewing a sugarless, medicated gum, researchers in
England report.
Poor
oral hygiene among elderly adults can lead to debris-covered dentures and
tooth decay, which can in turn affect overall health. High levels of
dental plaque, along with a type of oral infection called thrush, can lead
to serious illness elsewhere in the body, such as pneumonia. An
easy-to-use method for improving oral hygiene could thus help elderly
adults improve their overall health, the researchers explain.
Their
study is published in the August issue of the Journal of the American
Geriatrics Society.
"Chewing
gums should be considered as a potential adjunct to other oral hygiene
procedures in older subjects," Dr. Debra Simons and colleagues from
Guy's, King's and St. Thomas's Dental Institute in London conclude.
Their
study tracked 111 adults aged 60 and older over a 12-month period. Adults
were frail but healthy, and all lived in residential or nursing homes.
Study
participants in one group chewed two pieces of gum containing
chlorhexidine acetate, an antimicrobial, and xylitol, an extract from the
bark of birch trees used to flavor sugarless gum, for 15 minutes twice
daily. Another group chewed gum containing only xylitol, and a third group
did not chew gum.
Medicated
gum chewers lowered their risk of thrush, a fungal or "yeast"
infection that can cause mouth soreness, by 91% and also reduced their
risk of angular cheilitis, a condition in which sores develop in the
corners of the mouth. Patients who chewed gum with xylitol lowered their
risk of developing these conditions somewhat but not as much as adults who
chewed the medicated gum.
The
medicated gum was also associated with better saliva flow and lower levels
of denture debris. Adequate saliva flow helps to protect against cavities,
but many elderly adults secrete less saliva due to the use of certain
medications.
And
unlike the patients who chewed medicated gum, adults in the other two
groups experienced increased levels of oral yeast and bacteria over the
year. There were no side effects associated with the gum, the study found.
While
the medicated gum is currently available only in Sweden and Denmark, the
researchers note, gum with xylitol alone can also provide a "real
clinical benefit" to frail elderly people.
The
study was funded by the British Dental Association and Fertin A/S, a
manufacturer of medical chewing gum.
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