Title
A comparative in vivo study of natural sweetening agents and their effect on salivary pH levels among children visiting a dental hospital in North India
Authors
Payal Paul1, Sandeep Kumar Shah1, Shambhavi Dixit1,*, Mohammed Irfaan1, Bhawana Tiwari1, Revathy Seetharaman2 & Swati Dwivedi1
Affiliation
1Department of Paediatric & Preventive Dentistry, Career Post Graduate Institute Of Dental Sciences and Hospital, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India; 2Department of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopaedics, Vinayaka Mission's Sankarachariyar Dental College, A Constituent College of Vinayaka Mission's Research Foundation (Deemed to be University), Ariyanoor, Tamilnadu, India; *Corresponding author
Payal Paul - E-mail: paulpayal561@gmail.com
Sandeep Kumar Shah - E-mail: drsandeepshah27@gmail.com
Shambhavi Dixit - E-mail: shambhavidixit20@gmail.com
Mohammed Irfaan - E-mail: mohdirfaan05@gmail.com
Bhawana Tiwari - E-mail: bhawanabt1997@gmail.com
Revathy Seetharaman - E-mail: revathyseetharaman@gmail.com
Swati Dwivedi - E-mail: swatidwivedi52@gmail.com
Article Type
Research Article
Date
Received October 1, 2025; Revised October 31, 2025; Accepted October 31, 2025, Published October 31, 2025
Abstract
Natural sweetening agents have recently gained attention as potential alternatives to refined sugar, owing to their possible non-cariogenic or even protective effects against dental caries. Therefore, it is of interest to evaluate the effect of natural sweetening agents on salivary pH levels in children visiting a dental hospital in North India. This current in vivo study was conducted among 140 children who were randomly allocated to four groups (n = 35 each): Group A (xylitol), Group B (maple syrup), Group C (date sugar) and Group D (distilled water, control). Saliva was collected at baseline, 0, 15 and 30 minutes post-rinsing and pH was assessed using indicator strips. All natural sweeteners significantly increased salivary pH (p < 0.05), peaking at 15 minutes. Xylitol showed the highest mean pH at 30 minutes (7.40 ± 0.60), while no significant changes occurred in the control group. Xylitol, maple syrup and date sugar positively modulate salivary pH, with xylitol showing the greatest effect.
Keywords
Natural sweeteners, salivary pH, children, dental caries
Citation
Paul et al. Bioinformation 21(10): 3917-3920 (2025)
Edited by
Vini Mehta
ISSN
0973-2063
Publisher
License
This is an Open Access article which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly credited. This is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License.
