New Study Reveals Chewing Sugar-Free Xylitol Gum During Pregnancy Reduces Preterm Births

A new study in Malawi revealed that chewing a sugar-free gum has significantly reduced cases of preterm birth or preterm labor of women.

The study also confirmed previous research that there is correlation between poor oral health and preterm birth.

The researchers behind the new study conducted their experiment by sampling thousands of women in Malawi.

Their experiment yielded that the women who chewed the gum improved their oral health and had lesser cases of preterm births.

On the other hand, the women who did not receive the gum showed indications of a relatively poor oral health compared with the other women's group. As a result, the group who did not take the gum yielded a higher number of preterm labor cases.

Following the breakthrough, research is still ongoing to further understand on how having a good oral health reduces preterm birth.

In addition, researchers are still planning to assess the development of children involved when the study was conducted to their mothers.

From Previous Research to a Groundbreaking Study

(Photo : Daniel Beloumou Olomo via Getty Images)

The researchers in Malawi published their study in the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine Annual Pregnancy Meeting on February 3. The new study highlights the potential benefits of a sugar-free chewing gum, with the xylitol chemical, on oral health and preterm birth.

Inspired by previous research on the relation between poor oral health and preterm birth, the new study explored further on how these two separate aspects are in connection with one another. The study has done this by focusing on xylitol and oral health alone.

However, one of the previous studies indicate the bacteria from the mouth may be a culprit behind the relation between poor oral health and preterm birth.

This study published in the Journal of the American Dental Association in 2006 showed that the accumulation of bacteria from our mouth, including those on teeth, can also travel to the bloodstream and to different organs-even to the woman's placenta inside the uterus during pregnancy.

Also read: Global Heating is Responsible for Premature Births, Health Problem in Infants

The Xylitol Chemical

Xylitol is a chemical produced from several sources, including fruits, vegetables and trees. Xylitol is often used as a replacement for the conventional sugar-filled gum-since it is a low-calorie sugar and a low glycemic index, as per Medical News Today.

Researchers of the new study used xylitol to improve the oral health of some of its study participants and served as a replacement for sugar, as per Science News. The study finds that since xylitol boosts oral health, it also reduced the cases of preterm labor.

Data Sampling and Method

The researchers based their data from 10,000 women from the greater Lilongwe area of Malawi who participated in the study. The participants were either pregnant or in the early stages of their pregnancy for them to fit the criteria of the study.

Based on the study, there is a 24% reduction in premature births from women who took the sugar-free chewing gum with xylitol; while there is only 16.5% in reduction of prebirth labors from women who did not take the gum.

Further Studies on Oral Health, Preterm Birth, and Children

Although the study showed the benefits of xylitol, the researchers acknowledged that our understanding is still limited on how the xylitol chewing gum affected periodontal health and reduced preterm birth.

Following the breakthrough, the researchers in Malawi are still planning to do further research to understand how having a good oral health reduces preterm birth, specifically by focusing on the microbial level.

Furthermore, the researchers showed interest in assessing the neurodevelopment of children involved when the study was conducted to their mothers.

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