The effect of chewing sorbitol gum containing sodium bicarbonate on interproximal plaque pH was determined by use of an ion-sensitive field-effect transistor (ISFET) electrode system with four human volunteers. Plaque pH was lowered by 2 min of chewing of a sucrose-containing toffee. After 20 min, either sodium bicarbonate or control gum was chewed for 10 min, and the pH was followed for an additional 20 min. The minimum pH after toffee chewing was elevated by both the control gum (4.5 ± 0.3 to 5.2 ± 0.5) and the sodium-bicarbonate-containing product (4.3 ± 0.3 to 6.1 ± 0.6) to levels which were significantly different (p<0.01). The rate of rise in pH was 2.6 times faster with the gum containing buffer compared with the control gum. In comparison with the control gum, the sodium bicarbonate gum caused the pH to remain at a higher level, approximately 0.5 pH units, for 20 min after gum chewing. The addition of sodium bicarbonate to gum containing sorbitol markedly enhanced its capacity to cause and maintain an elevation of interproximal plaque pH previously lowered by exposure to fermentable carbohydrate. Sodium bicarbonate may be useful in products designed to reduce the acidogenic challenge to the teeth following food ingestion.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Andersson, R.; Arvidsson, E.; Crossner, C.-G.; Holm, A.-K.; Mansson, B.; and Grahnen, H. (1974): The Flow Rate, pH and Buffer Effect of Mixed Saliva in Children, J Int Assoc Dent Child5:5-12.
2.
Becks, H. and Wainwright, W.W. (1943): Human Saliva XIII. Rate of Flow of Resting Saliva of Healthy Individuals, J Dent Res22:391-396.
3.
Chida, R.; Igarashi, K.; Kamiyama, K.; Hoshino, E.; and Esashi, M. (1986): Characterization of Human Dental Plaque Formed on Hydrogen-ion-sensitive Field Effect Transistor Electrodes, J Dent Res65:448-451.
4.
Clark, N.G. and Dowdell, L.R. (1973): A Radio-telemetric Method for the Study of pH and Fluoride-ion Concentrations in Dental Plaque and Saliva, Med Biol Eng11:159-163.
5.
Crossner, C.-G. (1984): Salivary Flow Rate in Children and Adolescents , Swed Dent J8:271-276.
6.
Dawes, C. (1987): Physiological Factors Affecting Salivary Flow Rate, Oral Sugar Clearance, and the Sensation of Dry Mouth in Man, J Dent Res66:648-653.
7.
De Boever, J. and Mühlemann, H.R. (1969): pH of Interproximal Plaque with Regard to Continuous Sucrose Application, Helv Odont Acta13:97-99.
8.
Finn, S.B. and Jamison, H.C. (1967): The Effect of a Dicalcium Phosphate Chewing Gum on Caries Incidence in Children: 30-month Results, J Am Dent Assoc74:987-995.
9.
Glass, R.L. (1983): A Two-year Clinical Trial of Sorbitol Chewing Gum, Caries Res17:365-368.
10.
Graf, H. (1970): The Glycolytic Activity of Plaque and its Relation to Hard Tissues Pathology-Recent Findings from Intraoral pH Telemetry, Int Dent J20:426-435.
11.
Graf, H. and Mühlemann, H.R. (1966): Telemetry of Plaque pH from Interdental Areas , Helv Odont Acta10:94-101.
12.
Harper, D.S.; Gray, R.; Lenke, J.W.; and Hefferren, J.J. (1985): Measurement of Human Plaque Acidity: Comparison of Interdental Touch and Indwelling Electrodes, Caries Res19 :536-546.
13.
Heintze, U.; Birkhed, D.; and Bjorn, H. (1983): Secretion Rate and Buffer Effect of Resting and Stimulated Whole Saliva as a Function of Age and Sex, Swed Dent J7:227-238.
14.
Igarashi, K.; Kamiyama, K.; and Yamada, T. (1981): Measurement of pH in Human Dental Plaque in vivo with an Ion-sensitive Transistor Electrode, Arch Oral Biol26:203-207.
15.
Igarashi, K.; Chida, R.; Kamiyama, K.; Hoshino, E.; Schachtele, C.; and Harlander, S. (1986): Microbiology of Plaque from Indwelling Telemetry Electrodes, J Dent Res65:199, Abst. No. 269.
16.
Imfeld, T. (1977): Evaluation of the Cariogenicity of Confectionary by Intra-oral Wire-telemetry, Helv Odont Acta21:1-28.
17.
Imfeld, T. (1983): Identification of Low Risk Dietary Components, Monogr Oral Sci, Vol. 11, Basel: Karger.
18.
Imfeld, T. and Mühlemann, H.R. (1977): Evaluation of Sugar Substitutes in Preventive Cariology, J Prev Dent4:8-14.
19.
Imfeld, T. and Muhlemann, H.R. (1978): Cariogenicity and Acidogenicity of Food, Confectionary and Beverages, Pharm Therap Dent3:53-68.
20.
Isokangas, R.; Alanen, P.; Tiekso, J.; and Makinen, K.K. (1987): A Longitudinal Study on Xylitol Chewing Gum in Caries Prevention, J Dent Res66:301, Abst. No. 1552.
21.
Jensen, M.E. (1986a): Responses of Interproximal Plaque pH to Snack Foods and Effect of Chewing Sorbitol-containing Gum, J Am Dent Assoc113:262-266.
22.
Jensen, M.E. (1986b): Effect of Chewing Sorbitol and Paraffin on Human Interproximal Plaque pH, Caries Res20:503-509.
23.
Jensen, M.E.; Aeppli, D.M.; and Schachtele, C.F. (1984): Evaluation of the Acidogenic Potential of Reference Foods by Telemetry from Interproximal Sites in the Human Dentition. In: Foods, Nutrition and Dental Health, Vol. 5, J.J. Hefferren, H.M. Koehler, and J.C. Osborn, Eds., Chicago, IL: American Dental Association , pp. 109-117.
24.
Jensen, M.E. and Schachtele, C.F. (1983): The Acidogenic Potential of Reference Foods and Snacks at Interproximal Sites in the Human Dentition , J Dent Res62:889-892.
25.
Lagerlof, F. and Dawes, C. (1984): The Volume of Saliva in the Mouth Before and After Swallowing, J Dent Res63:618-621.
26.
Loesche, W.J. (1986): Role of Streptococcus mutans in Human Dental Decay , Microbiol Rev50:353-380.
27.
Mandel, I.D. (1987): The Functions of Saliva, J Dent Res66 :623-627.
28.
Miyasaki, K.T.; Genco, R.J.; and Wilson, M.E. (1986): Antimicrobial Properties of Hydrogen Peroxide and Sodium Bicarbonate Individually and in Combination Against Selected Oral , Gram-negative, Facultative Bacteria, J Dent Res65:1142-1148.
29.
Moller, I.J. and Poulson, S. (1973): The Effect of Sorbitol-containing Chewing Gum on the Incidence of Dental Caries: Plaque and Gingivitis in Danish School Children, Community Dent Oral Epidemiol1:58-67.
30.
Muhlemann, H.R. (1971): Intra-oral Radio Telemetry, Int Dent J21:456-465.
31.
Newbrun, E.; Hoover, C.I.; and Ryder, M.I. (1984): Bactericidal Action of Bicarbonate Ion on Selected Periodontal Pathogenic Microorganisms, J Periodontol55:658-667.
32.
Newman, P.; Macfadyen, E.E.; Gillespie, F.C. and Stephen, K.W. (1979): The In-dwelling Electrode for in vivo Measurement of the pH of Dental Plaque in Man, Arch Oral Biol24:501-507.
33.
Richardson, A.S.; Hole, L.W.; McCombie, F.; and Kolt-Hammer, J. (1972): Anticariogenic Effect of Dicalcium Phosphate Dihydrate Chewing Gum: Results After Two Years, J Can Dent Assoc38:213-218.
34.
Schachtele, C.F. and Harlander, S.K. (1984): Will the Diets of the Future be Less Cariogenic? , J Can Dent Assoc3:213-219.
35.
Schachtele, C.F. and Jensen, M.E. (1981): Human Plaque pH Studies: Estimating the Acidogenic Potential of Foods, Cereal Foods World26:14-18.
36.
Schachtele, C.F. and Jensen, M.E. (1984): Can Foods be Ranked According to Their Cariogenic Potential? In: Cariology Today, B. Guggenheim, Ed., Basel: Karger, pp. 136-146.
37.
Von Maiwald, H.J.; Banoczy, J.; Tietze, W.; Toth, Z.; and Vegh, A. (1982): Die Beeinflussung des Plaque-pH Durch Zuckerhaltigen und Zuckerfreien Kaugummi, Zahn Mund Kieferheilkd70:598-604.
38.
Yamada, T.; Igarashi, K.; and Mitsutomi, M. (1980): Evaluation of Cariogenicity of Glycosylsucrose by a New Method to Measure pH Under Human Dental Plaque in situ, J Dent Res59:2157-2162.
39.
Yamada, T.; Igarashi, K.; and Kamiyama, K. (1982): Advantages and Disadvantages of Using an Ion-sensitive Transistor Electrode for Measuring pH in Human Dental Plaque in vivo. In: Surface and Colloid Phenomena in the Oral Cavity: Methodological Aspects, R.M. Frank and S.A. Leach, Eds., London, England: IRL Press Ltd., pp. 157-166.
