'Chew On' To Better Dental Health?

Children simply love to chew gum but most of the times their parents forbid them from doing so. However teenagers simply enjoy doing it.

"I chew gum to keep away stress particularly when I need to concentrate and complete a task within a short period of time. I get edgy if I don't chew the gum and it keeps me focused on what I need to do," said Raja (not his real name).

"Chewing gum is considered to be a facial exercise", said another gum-chewing fan Salmah Kasno.

Some people do not like 'chewing gums' (also known as bubble gums) because of their high sugar content.

Chewing gums are flavoured to attract the young, however some people consider these fun-to-chew gums too artificial to put into their mouths.

"I just don't like to chew gums. Since small, it has not been my favourite", Dahlia Aziz-Monsen's statement was somewhat plain, straight and clear.

Shazleena Zainuddin, in her mid 20s, admits enjoying chewing gum occasionally but reminds that the gum chewing has yet to catch on her as a habit nor craving.

"I don't crave for it," Shazleena said adding that there are substitutes for bubble gums particularly that used by smokers who wish to kick their smoking habit.

DENTAL HEALTH

Xylitol is a newly added ingredient to chewing gums manufactured and marketed by the Lotte Group International, based in Shinjuku-ku, Japan.

Lotte Xylitol Dental Health Chewing Gum happens to be the first dental health chewing gum with more than 50 per cent xylitol content, proven to effectively prevent tooth decay and cavities.

This healthy chewing gum is said to be making a breakthrough on contrary to the age-old myth that chewing gum is bad for teeth.

Xylitol is a natural sweetener extracted from the barks of the white birch trees in Finland, first discovered by Finnish Professor Kauko Makinen.

Henry Yap, the general manager of Lotte Malaysia said:

"Xylitol is a safe and natural sweetener that also produces a cooling and refreshing sensation in the mouth. Chewing the Lotte Xylitol four to five times a day can help to prevent tooth decay. We are confident Malaysians will support the product given its proven benefits."

A GUM OF CHOICE

This product may be new to Malaysians but it was actually produced by Lotte Japan more than 10 years ago.

"This xylitol chewing gum was launched in 1997, in Japan. It is good for users of all ages. We have them flavoured as well, in lime mint, blueberry and mint. And they have already been accredited with the official Halal certification," chief finance Officer of Lotte Malaysia, Fujiki Tatsuya shared on.

Tatsuya stressed that the acceptance of Xylitol chewing gum was already 90 per cent in Japan and the Lotte produced Xylitol chewing gum holds 65 percent of the total market share in the country.

"This clearly means that sugar gums are only 10 percent popular in Japan and that is good for the total dental wellbeing of the society.

"Our factories are in Indonesia and Thailand and our distribution of this healthy product spreads to a large chunk of South East Asia, which will soon see Singapore and Brunei on our latest expansion list.

"These exports and sales will be handled by Lotte Malaysia", he told Bernama.

A bottle of sugar-free Lotte Xylitol dental support chewing gum weighs 66 grams and costs not less than RM7. Consumers are advised to chew not more than 5 times of 2 gums at each time, for at least 5 minutes, for the best results in dental care.

MALAYSIAN TEENAGERS AND XYLITOL

"My friend chews the Xylitol gum since five to six years ago. I have just caught on, however they are more pricy. Why not, if it prevents cavities and promotes good dental health," a 16-year-old Zhe Hei Lang responded when asked about chewing gum recently.

Malaysian teenagers seem to be very proactive nowadays where their dental health is concerned.

"Most of us want to have healthy teeth, don't really enjoy that forced visit to the dentist when pain comes a-calling you know," she added.

Dentist Dr. K.S. Sieh has this to say:

"The chewing of gums especially the movement it involves helps to strengthen the bones and ligaments supporting the teeth. It makes the gum healthy too.

"And because it doesn't use the cane sugar we are used to, replacing it with a natural sweetener xylitol instead, the formation of cavities gets less. However, excessive consumption of the chewing gum is still discouraged," the dentist explained.

Source: Bernama