Effects of Fluoride, Sorbitol and Xylitol Mouth Rinse on Glucose Clearance in Adolescents.

Jan. 10 1998

Calamari SE, Azcurra AI, Luna Maldonado ER, Battellino LJ, Cattoni ST, Colantonio RG.
Departments of Introduction to Biological Physics and Chemistry, Faculty of Odontology, National University of Cordoba, Argentina.

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The present work describes and analyzes the results of a randomized clinical trial on 98 healthy adolescents (age 18 +/- 0.7 years) in order to evaluate the effects of a 14 day treatment with xylitol mouth rinse containing (0.2%; 0.5% and 1%), sorbitol (1%), NaF (0.1% respectively) on salivary glucose clearance.

In all volunteers oral glucose clearance followed an exponential curve as a function of time, which fitted almost exactly to the equation log Ct = log Co - bt from 1 to 16 minutes after sugar rinsing. Xylitol treatment provoked an increase in oral glucose clearance, which was proportional to its concentration in the mouthrinse formula.

The average AUC (area under curve) decrease was 9.1% in subjects rinsing with 0.2% xylitol; 21.5% with 0.5% xylitol and 40.0% with 1% xylitol. 1% sorbitol or 0.1% NaF did not modify any of the pharmacokinetical parameters over the same treatment time.

The mouthrinses containing 1% xylitol and 0.1% NaF produced the same results as 1% xylitol alone on oral glucose clearance. No significant changes in the salivary flow rate nor in oral health parameters were observed concomitant to the faster oral glucose clearance by xylitol treatment.

Since the sugars salivary clearance is part of a process intended to prevent dental caries, our results suggest that xylitol adds another mechanism of action to its well known cariostatic and anticaries properties.