Evaluation of the dental plaque pH recovery effect of a xylitol lozenge on patients with fixed orthodontic appliances.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of a xylitol lozenge on the dental plaque pH profile of fixed orthodontic patients. Twelve volunteers participated in this study. Before the measurement of plaque pH, subjects were asked to refrain from brushing their teeth for 48 hours and from eating and drinking for two hours. The subjects' baseline dental plaque pH was recorded using the touch technique. It was followed by a one-minute rinse with 15 ml of a 10% solution of sucrose, and subsequent plaque pH measurements were carried out during the next one hour. Xylitol lozenges were taken five times a day during a 14-day period. The variables of resting-plaque pH, minimum-plaque pH (MP pH), time required to reach MP pH (TMP), last-plaque (LP) pH at the end of one hour, cH area (CH), and pH at each test time were calculated for each pH test of the subjects. The paired sample t-test was used for statistical comparison. The mean MP pH values increased from 4.81 to 5.09 in the experimental measurement (P < .05). The mean TMP was not affected by the use of xylitol (P > .05). Although the LP pH showed an increase during the experimental period, the difference between control and experimental periods was not statistically significant (P > .05). The CH of the experimental period was significantly less than that of the control period (P < .05). As a result, the use of a xylitol lozenge after a sucrose challenge can be an advisable practice for fixed orthodontic patients to prevent future dental caries.