ADHA Access July 2012 : Page 23
In oral health care, it is exciting to see xylitol leading the way toward the elimination of dental caries. There is also new and exciting research being conducted that highlights xylitol’s effect on periodon-topathic bacteria. Knowing the destruction that Porphyromonas gingi-valis bacteria and inflammatory cytokines have on the gingival tissue, it is encouraging to note that xylitol is showing an inhibitory effect on the growth of P. gingivalis . 8 With awareness of the inflammatory component of periodontal disease, the dental research community will continue to observe xylitol’s influence and possible applications. Use of xylitol by pregnant women has also helped improve pre -natal dental care for both mother and child. Research conducted at New York University School of Medicine suggests that children acquire cavity-causing bacteria from their mothers. 9 Regular use of xylitol by a mother of a newborn child has shown to provide long-lasting pro -tection to the child as well. What an optimum time to intercede and educate an expectant mother about dental caries prevention. When both mother and child benefit from the use of xylitol products, the long-term health benefits are doubled. Today, thanks to research efforts by both the medical and dental research communities, we have begun to trust the many benefits xylitol has on the human body. Terms like incipient caries, recur -rent caries, interproximal caries and root surface caries no longer sound as hopeless. We can proceed into the next decade knowing the plethora of benefits xylitol provides in the fight against dental caries, periodontal disease and childhood ear infections as well as its positive role in diabetes management and prenatal dental care. 2. Rothen M. Xylitol in development. Dimensions of Dental Hygiene. 2006; 4(3): 24, 26. Available at: www.dimensionsofdentalhygiene.com/ddhright. aspx?id=765. 3. The Nobel Prize in Chemistry, 1902, Emil Fischer. Available at: www.nobel -prize.org/nobel_prizes/chemistry/laureates/1902/. 4. Peldyak J. Turku sugar studies. Kidds Dental website. Available at: www. kiddsdental.com/xylitol-research/turku-sugar-studies.html. 5. Scheinin A, Mäkinen KK, Ylitalo K. Turku sugar studies. V. Final report on the effect of sucrose, fructose and xylitol diets on the caries incidence in man. Acta Odontol Scand. 1976; 34(4):179-216. Abstract available at: www.ncbi. nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/795260 6. American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. Policy on the use of xylitol in caries prevention. Available at: www.aapd.org/media/Policies_Guidelines/P_ Xylitol.pdf. 7. Natural sweetener used in chewing gum, mint may help arrest ear infections among children. India Pharma News. Nov 12, 2011. 8. Su-Ji Han, So-Yeon Jeong, Yun-Ju Nam, et al. Xylitol inhibits inflammatory cytokine expression induced by lipopolysaccharide from porphyromonas gin -givalis. Clin Diagn Lab Immunol. 2005; 12(11): 1285–91. Abstract available at: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1287760/. 9. New York University Langone Medical Center. Tooth decay prevention. Avail -able at: www.med.nyu.edu/content?ChunkIID=38568. Judith M. Stein, RDH, is a 1981 graduate of Kel-logg Community College, Battle Creek, Mich. She has enjoyed a variety of professional opportuni-ties in her dental hygiene career that include a commitment to lifelong learning and contribut-ing as a feature writer for RDH magazine. She is now employed in private practice and an active volunteer in several professional, community and faith organizations. n References 1. University of Michigan Health System. Xylitol. Available at: www.uofmhealth. org/health-library/hn-3983008. n Building Optimum Oral Health Care Teams ADA & ADHA Annual Conference CE Program The American Dental Hygienists’ Association (ADHA) and the American Dental Association (ADA) are working in collaboration to present a continuing education program to explore and discuss • the ramifications of our two professions’ separate education in preparation for working together in practice • the economic effects of the decision to retain or not retain the dental hygienist in the private practice dental office during a recession Presenters are collaborating dentist-dental hygienist teams. The target audience is dentists, dental hygienists, and dental and dental hygiene students. The course will be offered at ADHA’s 2013 CLL in Boston and ADA’s 2012 or 2013 annual meeting in San Francisco or New Orleans, respectively. For more information, see the August issue of Access and keep watching the ADHA website at www.adha.org. access JUL 2012 23
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