ArticleBMC microbiology2020
Xylitol and erythritol inhibit real-time biofilm formation of Streptococcus mutans.
Article in BMC microbiology, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT06329596 (Periodontal Disease and Alterations in the Oral and Vaginal Microbiome Communities Among Gravidae Chewing Xylitol-gum in Malawi), which is not on this map. Cited by 24 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Periodontal Disease and Alterations in the Oral and Vaginal Microbiome Communities Among Gravidae Chewing Xylitol-gum in Malawi: Microbiome Alterations With Xylitol (MAX) in Pregnancy Trial.
Who cites it
24 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 38 citations in OpenAlex.
- Specific effects of xylitol chewing gum on mutans streptococci levels, plaque accumulation and caries occurrence: a systematic review.BMC oral health · 2025Pooled it
- Clinical Effects of Sugar Substitutes on Cariogenic Bacteria: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.International dental journal · 2024Pooled it
- Effects of sugar-free polyol chewing gums on gingival inflammation: a systematic review.Clinical oral investigations · 2022Pooled it
- Antiplaque and antigingivitis efficacy of medicated and non-medicated sugar-free chewing gum as adjuncts to toothbrushing: systematic review and network meta-analysis.Clinical oral investigations · 2022Pooled it
- Modulating Oral Microbiota to Prevent Dental Caries: A Microbial Ecology Approach.Dentistry journal · 2026Review
- In Vitro Inhibition of Pathogens by Polyols: Optical Density-Based Screening and Implications for the Oral-Systemic Axis.Microorganisms · 2026Article
- The CelB Gene Mediates Erythritol-Induced Inhibition of Exopolysaccharide Synthesis inMicroorganisms · 2026Article
- Probiotics, Prebiotics, Synbiotics, Postbiotics, and Bioactive Agents in Modulating Harmful Oral Biofilms.Probiotics and antimicrobial proteins · 2026Review
- Combination of bacteriophage and antibiofilm compounds from phyllosphere bacteria as a comprehensive strategy for aquaculture and food pathogen control.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Characteristics ofJournal of oral microbiology · 2026Article
- Multiscale Design of Dental Restorative Materials: Mechanistic Foundations, Technological Innovations, and Clinical Translation.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2025Review
- Real-time acid production and extracellular matrix formation in mature biofilms of threeBiofilm · 2024Article
- Alteration of oral microbial biofilms by sweeteners.Biofilm · 2024Review
- Herbal medicines to prevent dental caries.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2024Article
- Pine-Oil-Derived Sodium Resinate Inhibits Growth and Acid Production ofDentistry journal · 2024Article
- Erythritol Can Inhibit the Expression of Senescence Molecules in Mouse Gingival Tissues and Human Gingival Fibroblasts.Nutrients · 2023Article
- Antimicrobial Effect of Low-Fluoride Toothpastes Containing Polyphosphate and Polyols: An In Vitro Assessment of Inhibition Zones.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Evaluation of Solutions Containing Fluoride, Sodium Trimetaphosphate, Xylitol, and Erythritol, Alone or in Different Associations, on Dual-Species Biofilms.International journal of molecular sciences · 2023Article
- Preparation of an Antioxidant Assembly Based on a Copolymacrolactone Structure and Erythritol following an Eco-Friendly Strategy.Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- Research progress on extraction technology and biomedical function of natural sugar substitutes.Frontiers in nutrition · 2022Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundRegular consumption of xylitol decreases the number of cariogenic streptococci in dental plaque. In vitro biofilm models to study the mechanism of xylitol action have been set-up, but the obtained results are contradictory. Biofilm growth is a dynamic process with time-specific characteristics that may remain undetected in conventional end-point biofilm tests. In this study we used an impedance spectroscopy instrument, xCELLigence Real Time Cell Analyzer (RTCA), that allows label-free, non-invasive real-time monitoring of biofilm formation, to explore effects of xylitol on biofilm formation by Streptococcus mutans. Based on the obtained information of biofilm dynamics, we assessed the number of viable bacteria, the polysaccharide content, and the expression levels of selected genes involved in glucan-mediated biofilm formation in different biofilm stages. Xylitol inhibition was compared with that of erythritol; another polyol suggested to have a positive impact on oral health.
resultsOur results showed that real-time monitoring provided new information of polyol-induced changes in S. mutans biofilm formation dynamics. The inhibitory effect of polyols was more pronounced in the early stages of biofilm formation but affected also the measured total amount of formed biofilm. Effects seen in the real-time biofilm assay were only partially explained by changes in CFU values and polysaccharide amounts in the biofilms. Both xylitol and erythritol inhibited real-time biofilm formation by all the nine tested S. mutans strains. Sensitivity of the strains to inhibition varied: some were more sensitive to xylitol and some to erythritol. Xylitol also modified the expression levels of gbpB, gtfB, gtfC and gtfD genes that are important in polysaccharide-mediated adherence of S. mutans.
conclusionThe erythritol- and xylitol- induced inhibition of biofilm formation was only partly explained by decrease in the number of viable S. mutans cells or the amount of polysaccharides in the biofilm matrix, suggesting that in addition to reduced proliferation also the matrix composition and thereby the surface attachment quality of biofilm matrix may be altered by the polyols.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.