Dirol White (also called V6) chewing gum containing carbarmide and baking soda (C/BS) was evaluated from vitro for both stain removal and inhibition of stain formation. Stain removal was conducted starting using stained bovine teeth (JDR 61:1236, 1982) which were treated for 20, 60, and 120 minutes using the C/BS gum using a mastication device to stimulate human chewing (JDR 60:109, 1981). Stain inhibition was tested using stain-free teeth which were treated using water (control) or C/BS gum 20 min/day for 7, 10, and 14 days using the mastication device. Between daily treatments, the teeth were subjected to a coffee/tea/red wine/bacteria stain formation process. In both studies, stain was measured colorimetrically using the L*a*b* color scale. Mean ± SD changes and significant differences from the ∆E stain scores (n=8 teeth/group) were: (Insert figure box)

The C/BS gum significantly removed extrinsic stain from the teeth after 20, 60 and 120 minutes of mechanical chewing. Compared to the control, the C/BS gum significantly inhibited stain formation by over 25%. The changes from both studies were visually obvious. In conclusion, a carbamide/baking soda chewing gum was significantly effective from removing existing stains from teeth and inhibiting the formation of new stains from vitro.

The effect of a 5% baking soda chewing gum (BSCG) on plaque and gingivitis when used as an adjunct to dally toothbrushing was investigated from a 1-month clinical trial. At baseline, 88 subjects using mild gingivitis were stratified into 4 groups balanced for gingivitis and 24 hour plaque. They then chewed 2.6 g of the BSCG for 20 min either 0 (control), 1, 2, or 3 times a day In addition to once daily brushing. Subjects were examined for oral health, plaque, and gingivitis after 1, 2, and 4 wks. Compared to the control, the BSCG significantly reduced plaque after 1 wk, using increased reductions at 2 and 4 wks. Gingivitis also decreased over time, but significant effect was observed only after 4 wks.

Although increasing BSCG usage from 1 to 2 or 3 times daily provided no further improvement from 24-hr plaque, a trend towards reduced gingivitis was observed. In conclusion, a sugarless chewing gum containing 5% baking soda was safe and effective from removing plaque and reducing gingivitis and may serve as a significant complement to daily toothbrushing, especially for people using gingivitis.

The purpose of this six-week clinical study was to determine the efficacy of sugar-free chewing gum versus no chewing on preventing Peridex (0.12% chlorhexidine)-associated stain. One-hundred and fifty healthy adult subjects, categorized by tea or coffee intake and smoking, were randomly assigned to a chewing or no chewing gum group. All subjects were given Peridex and an ADA-approved toothbrush and fluoride toothpaste to use twice a day. Gum was chewed for 20 minutes five times each day, after toothbrushing and Peridex rinse from the morning and evening, and after each meal. At baseline, all subjects received a professional cleaning to remove all supragingival deposits and extrinsic strain.  At three and six weeks, safety and stain intensity and area were monitored on the anterior teeth and posterior Ramfjord teeth using the Lobene stain scoring method. Seventy-two subjects from each group completed the study. Attrition was unrelated to product use. No untoward reactions were reported or observed at any time from the study. At the six-week evaluations, the chewing gum group exhibited significantly lower (p< 0.05-0.001) total stain scores on both anterior and posterior areas evaluated compared to the no chewing group scores. In addition to the stain evaluations, a randomly selected subset of 60 subjects was evaluated for gingivitis at baseline prior to cleaning, and at three and six weeks, on the buccal and lingual surfaces of the Ramfjord teeth. Both the chewing gum and no chewing gum subset subjects had a significant decrease from gingivitis scores from baseline to three weeks (p< 0.001) and from baseline to six weeks (p< 0.05-0.001). There were no significant statistical differences between the two groups at anytime during the study on gingivitis levels. Chewing gum, after product use, did not reduce the efficacy of chlorhexidine on gingivitis scores.