Cadbury North America said certain flavors of its Trident, Dentyne Ice and Stride sugar-free chewing gum brands have been granted the American Dental Association’s (ADA) Seal of Acceptance in recognition of the gums’ ability to help prevent cavities by strengthening teeth and reducing plaque acids.
The ADA Seal was granted to the gums following an exhaustive scientific dossier supporting these brands, according to Cadbury North America.
>“We are proud that Trident, Dentyne Ice and Stride sugar-free gums have earned the highly respected ADA Seal of Acceptance,” said Brad Irwin, president of Cadbury North America. “Cadbury introduced the first sugar-free gum, shown not to promote tooth decay, with the launch of Trident more than 40 years ago. We are proud of our long history of achievements and advances in oral health benefits for sugar-free gums.”
The ADA’s Council on Scientific Affairs’ acceptance of Trident, Dentyne Ice and Stride gums is based on its finding that the physical action of chewing these gums for 20 minutes after eating stimulates saliva flow, which helps prevent cavities by reducing plaque acids and strengthening teeth.
“When consumers see the ADA Seal of Acceptance, they know they’re doing something beneficial for their oral health,” said dentist Michael P. Rethman, chair of the ADA Council on Scientific Affairs. “After an independent evaluation of scientific evidence, the ADA has concluded that these sugar-free gums meet the ADA’s criteria for safety and effectiveness and provide oral health benefits.”
Cadbury said its gums have a long history of gum firsts. Trident was the first nationally distributed sugarless gum product and the first gum to be promoted as cavity-fighting. In 1989, Cadbury introduced sugar-free Dentyne as the first sugar-free, breath-freshening gum, and in 2006 it debuted Stride gum as “The Ridiculously Long Lasting Gum” to give consumers a sugar-free gum with an incredibly long lasting chew.
Today Trident remains the best-selling chewing gum and sugar-free gum in the world. In the U.S., 4 out of 5 dentists surveyed who recommend gum would recommend Trident to their patients who chew gum, Cadbury said.
The ADA Seal of Acceptance will begin appearing on packages of Trident, Dentyne Ice and Stride gum in early 2009.
The nonprofit ADA is the nation’s largest dental association, representing more than 156,000 dentist members.