Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate and compare the antibacterial effect of three types of chewing gum on oral streptococcus mutans and lactobacilli in school children, and the effect of them on dental debris accumulation.
Materials and Methods: A sample single blinded randomized control study included 60 healthy children age between 6-12 years with specific inclusion criteria. Three types of chewing gum were used in the present study; sugar-containing “chiclets", sugar-free “xylitol", and sugar-less “mastic". Saliva samples were collected in a sterile plain tube from participating children in the first day before taking chewing gum and then after taking chewing gum in a sterile plain tube for 3 successive days, after one week debris index was recorded.
Results: There was a statistically significant reduction in S. mutans and lactobacilli count from baseline to the third day in the three studied groups. Through the intergroup comparison, there was also a statistically significant percentage of reduction of S. mutans and lactobacilli count at different time intervals, there was a statistically non-significant difference between the three studied groups according to debris index score.
Conclusion: The use of sugar-free “xylitol" chewing gum has the higher significant effect on the reduction of S. mutans and lactobacilli count at different time intervals followed by sugar-less chewing gum “mastic" when compared to sugar-containing “chiclets" chewing gum.
Keywords: Antibacterial, Chewing gum, Children, Lactobacilli, Streptococcus Mutans.