Xylitol and/or fluoride?
Tooth decay or dental caries is not due to lack of fluoride, and applying fluoride isn’t necessarily the best form of caries prophylaxis1. Fluoride can make the enamel composition somewhat harder meaning that the enamel may resist a bit longer to acid attacks so cavities form a little slower. They still will form eventually if the diet is faulty and dental hygiene less than ideal, in other words, fluoride may simply allow to gain some time. In contrast, xylitol acts on one of the most essential immediate causes of tooth decay, the cariogenic bacteria which produce plaque and the acids which lead to tooth destruction. After years of experience with the application of xylitol as a dental “treatment”, dentist Dr. Bruhn suspects that xylitol if used in sufficient quantity should be plenty sufficient by itself, but he emphasizes that scientific corroboration is yet to be furnished.
