Abstract
The authors previously reported that phosphoryl-oligosaccharide calcium salt (POs-Ca) can be extracted from potato starch hydrolysates and markedly increases the solubility of calcium. This study examined the effects of a sugar-free chewing gum containing POs-Ca on remineralization of enamel in situ. Twelve healthy volunteers (6 males and 6 females ; mean age=21 y old) were randomly divided into 3 groups (n=4 per group) and participated in an intraoral study using a double-blind cross-over design. Each participant wore a removable palatal appliance containing demineralized enamel disks and chewed a xylitol gum, a xylitol plus 2.45% POs-Ca gum or a sucrose gum 4 times a day (period : 2 w per type of gum). During the study period, there was no fluoride agent used and great care was taken not to dry the enamel disks. The enamel disks were microradiographed to quantify mineral distributions. The lesion depth (ld) in the POs group (Mean±SD=37±7μm) significantly reduced by 51% compared with that in the sucrose gum group (75±19μm ; p<0.01) and by 44% compared with that in the xylitol gum group (66±28μm ; p<0.05). The proposed mechanism of mineral accumulation by POs-Ca is the elevation of the salivary Ca/P ratio toward the level in hydroxyapatite (1.67) thus maintaining a state of supersaturation of calcium facilitating enamel-enhancing remineralization. In conclusion, it was suggested that daily use of a sugar-free chewing gum containing 2.45% POs-Ca (4 times a day) enhances remineralization in enamel lesions considerably.
