52 ORAL CARE
wine, soy sauce and a variety of fruits. Erythritol is approximately 60% as sweet as sugar although this varies by application. It is therefore recommended that erythritol be blended with high-intensity sweeteners in order to increase the sweetness in oral care products and to mask off-tastes from other ingredients. This kind of blend usually yields a higher perceived sweetness than theoretically calculated and the synergy allows a reduction in high-intensity sweeteners and, consequently, in actual costs.
Erythritol for oral health Background
Although tooth enamel is the hardest substance in the human body, it is susceptible to erosive processes provoked by the interplay of a diet high in fermentable sugars and an unfavourable microbial composition in the oral cavity. To counteract the development of caries lesions, the recommendation is to reduce consumption of fermentable sugars and to perform regular oral hygiene measures. A wide range of oral care products is available, targeting the issue of caries development on multiple levels. These include delivering remineralisation agents such as fluoride to be incorporated into the enamel, stimulation of the flow of saliva as a buffer against low pH, the suppression of bacterial growth using antimicrobial agents, and the mechanical removal of plaque by abrasive agents. Furthermore, novel therapeutic approaches such as modulation of the oral microbiome to favour the growth of beneficial bacteria and disrupt biofilm formation are receiving increasing attention.2
Polyols can support these efforts in 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 Temperature (ºC) Figure 2: Solubility of erythritol in water depending on temperature. PERSONAL CARE EUROPE 70 80 90 100
Figure 1: Microscopic image showing the crystal size distribution in a benchmark toothpaste (A) and Jungbunzlauer’s prototype (B). Scale bar denotes 100 µm in both images. Black, circular spots in image B are air bubbles.
various ways. The beneficial effect of these non-acidogenic sweeteners in the context of oral health was first observed in xylitol in the 1970s.3
The mechanism of action of
xylitol can generally be ascribed to the stimulation of salivary flow and interference with the energy production cycle of acidogenic bacteria such as Streptococcus mutans.4
To exploit these benefits, polyols
can be delivered in different ways, for example in chewing gum, suckable tablets, toothpaste or mouthwash. According to Innova Market Insights, about 180 oral care products containing xylitol were launched globally in 2018.
While xylitol is a long-established
ingredient in the formulation of dental hygiene products, the benefits of erythritol have been gaining attention over the last two decades. Erythritol is derived from
fermentation and thus provides a natural alternative to xylitol. Furthermore, erythritol as a non-cariogenic sweetener is highly tolerable when ingested. Its role in oral health has been demonstrated in both in vitro and in vivo studies.
Effect of erythritol observed in in vitro and in vivo studies Several in vitro studies on erythritol have investigated its effect on the bacteria frequently associated with caries development. It has been shown that erythritol can suppress the growth of streptococcus strains and reduce their surface adherence.5
In addition to a b
Erythritol has also been
shown to modulate gene expression in Streptococcus mutans, thus interfering with its energy production cycle.6
the isolated view on streptococci, the effect of erythritol on the ecology of microorganisms residing in the oral cavity has been studied.7
The oral microbiome
plays a major role in the development of oral diseases such as gingivitis. The authors observed that the presence of erythritol changed the microbial ecology of the biofilm, preventing maturation to an unhealthy composition dominated by the bacteria associated with gingivitis. A long-term in vivo study investigating
the effect of daily intake of polyols was conducted in Finland between 2008 and 2011. Schoolchildren were given erythritol, xylitol or sorbitol candies (total polyol intake per day approx. 7.5 g) and oral health indices, including caries lesions and the composition and build-up of plaque, were documented periodically. After three years, the amount of dental plaque and the levels of different organic acids were lowest in the group consuming erythritol candies.8 Furthermore, the consumption of erythritol candies delayed the development of caries and reduced their overall occurrence.9
This June 2019
Solubility (g/100 mL)
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