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Do you have general comments or criti- cism you would like to share? Is there a particular topic you would like to see articles about in Hygiene Tribune? Let us know by e-mailing feedback@dental- tribune.com. We look forward to hearing from you! If you would like to make any change to your subscription (name, address or to opt out) please send us an e-mail at database@dental-tribune.com and be sure to include which publication you are referring to. Also, please note that sub- scription changes can take up to 6 weeks to process. Tell us what you think! HYGIENE TRIBUNE The World’s Dental Hygiene Newspaper · U. S. Edition Publisher & Chairman Torsten Oemus t.oemus@dental-tribune.com Vice President Global Sales Peter Witteczek p.witeczek@dental-tribune.com Chief Operating Officer Eric Seid e.seid@dental-tribune.com Group Editor & Designer Robin Goodman r.goodman@dental-tribune.com Editor in Chief Hygiene Tribune Angie Stone RDH a.stone@dental-tribune.com Managing Editor/Designer Implant Tribunes & Endo Tribune Sierra Rendon s.rendon@dental-tribune.com Managing Editor/Designer Ortho Tribune & Show Dailies Kristine Colker k.colker@dental-tribune.com Online Editor Fred Michmershuizen f.michmershuizen@dental-tribune. com Product & Account Manager Mark Eisen m.eisen@dental-tribune.com Marketing Manager Anna Wlodarczyk a.wlodarczyk@dental-tribune.com Sales & Marketing Assistant Lorrie Young l.young@dental-tribune.com C.E. Manager Julia E. Wehkamp j.wehkamp@dental-tribune.com Dental Tribune America, LLC 213 West 35th Street, Suite 801 New York, NY 10001 Tel.: (212) 244-7181 Fax: (212) 244-7185 Published by Dental Tribune America © 2010 Dental Tribune America, LLC All rights reserved. Hygiene Tribune strives to maintain utmost accuracy in its news and clinical reports. If you find a factual error or content that requires clarification, please contact Group Editor Robin Goodman at r.goodman@dental-tribune.com. Hygiene Tribune cannot assume responsibility for the validity of product claims or for typographical errors. The publisher also does not assume responsibility for product names or statements made by advertisers. Opinions expressed by authors are their own and may not reflect those of Dental Tribune America. Editor’s Letter HYGIENE TRIBUNE | May 20102D Dear Reader, The dental profession in the Unit- ed States is becoming more aware of the benefits of xylitol. At this point, dental publications, live edu- cational courses and online courses are buzzing with the good news about xylitol, the amazing five car- bon natural sugar. While dental professionals around the globe have been endorsing xyli- tol for many years, the United States has been slow to hop on the band- wagon. One of the reasons for this lag is the United States needed the right xylitol products to be available, and usage directions to be more clearly defined. Now the products are here and the usage is simple: Use pure xyli- tol-sweetened oral care products in place of ordinary toothpaste, mouth rinse, chewing gum, mints and can- dies. Following such a plan will ensure the recommended five expo- sures of xylitol daily are reached and increased oral health will result. Dental hygienists are enthusias- tically embracing the role xylitol can play in achieving dental health, but hygienists are not receiving the the diet. While the dental profes- sion is just beginning to turn its head toward xylitol, the health food industry is very aware of the ben- efits of xylitol and has been for a long time. There are also companies pro- ducing high-content xylitol products that market to the dental industry. Dental offices can order products direct from the companies and have them on hand to give or resell to patients. Xlear, a company based in Orem, Utah, offers direct ordering, but it has also recognized the disconnect between the dental and health food industries. To help mend this situ- ation, Xlear has implemented the “Bridging the Gap” initiative. This program has been designed to connect dental offices and their patients with local health food stores. These connections are being made by a team of hygienist’s hired by the company to operate as prod- uct educators. Product educators visit den- tal offices on behalf of each store. These representatives drop off sam- ples of xylitol products, offer edu- cation and inform the office of the nearest store offering 100 percent xylitol sweetened products. On the other side, each store knows which offices have been connected with their store and “Bridging the Gap” has been put into motion. This is networking at its best! Hygienists are taking their career in a new direction, knowledge is being shared, referrals are going back and forth between dental offices and health food stores, more xylitol products are being purchased and used, and the bottom line is people are getting healthier. Isn’t this what our profession is all about? If you would like more informa- tion regarding how to get your office involved in “Bridging the Gap,” con- tact Xlear National Sales Manager Chad Thomas at chad@xlear.com. In addition, as you’ve likely already noticed, this month’s article focuses on the many sides of xylitol. HT . Best Regards, Angie Stone, RDH, BS complete picture. The missing piece is where to find quality xylitol prod- ucts. As a profession, we send our patients to general supermarkets or drugstores to purchase recommend- ed products, and for the most part patients are successful in locating products we have suggested. This is not true with xylitol. While there are products contain- ing xylitol sold at major retailers, they typically are not 100 percent sweetened with xylitol. This is an important detail to be aware of. Products where xylitol is not list- ed as the first ingredient are not as effective as those listing xylitol first. This can mislead patients into think- ing they are getting the benefits of xylitol by using the product when, in all actuality, they are not getting enough xylitol. So where can we send our patients to purchase high- content xylitol products? The answer is: To health food stores! These stores carry 100 per- cent xylitol sweetened products. They even carry bulk xylitol, which can be used to replace sugar in AD