Sugar Substitutes & Their Role in Dentistry

Sucrose (table sugar) is considered as sugar by most of the people. Though sweet, sugars are the causes for many bitter experiences faced by the modern day civilized man. Sugar, directly or indirectly is considered as culprit for many diseases like diabetes, obesity, atherosclerosis, etc., which prompted the search for a suitable substitute.' At this given point of time, there is no such substitute which can replace sugar (which is versatile) in all aspects. The dental profession shares an interest in the search for safe, palatable sugar substitutes, as there is established evidence suggesting the causal relationship between sugar and dental caries. Use of sugar substitutes in preventive dentistry is gaining importance. Replacing sugar with a suitable sugar substitute to combat dental caries is an option wide open. This is a small effort to give an elaborate discussion on sugar substitutes and their role in dental health and also remove the myths about them and give a clear cut idea on them.