pH of Mouth Before and After Chewing Gum Experiment #2 Quantitative Lab

Submitted by: Team Plaque-inators

Research: According to the centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) tooth decay affects more than one fourth of U.S. children aged 2 -5, and half of those aged 12-15 years.

Objective: To determine if chewing sugarless gum after a sugary snack changes the pH of a persons mouth. Hypothesis: If saliva flow can be increased by chewing sugarless gum after meals, then acids in the mouth will be neutralized, reducing plaque build-up. Materials: Fruit snacks, sugarless gum, pH paper, timer Procedure: 1. Participants rinse mouth with water. 2. Use pH to take pH of mouth, record 3. Eat fruit snacks 4. Take pH of mouth immediately after fruit snacks, record 5. Wait 3 minutes and take pH of mouth again, record 6. Rinse mouth with water 7. Take pH of mouth, record 8. Eat fruit snacks 9. Take pH of mouth immediately after fruit snacks, record 10. Chew sugarless gum for 3 minutes 11. Take pH of mouth, record

Data: pH Lab - Table 1 Participant Initial pH After Snack 3 min. after snack 6 7 7 8 8 9 7 8 6 7 7 7 7 7 7 6 7 7 7 7 8 8 7 Initial pH After Snack 3 min after chewing gum 8 4 7 8 8 4 7 7 8 7 8 7 7 7 8 7 8 7 7 8 8 7 7

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23

7 6 7 7 7 8 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 6 7 7 7 7 7 8 6

6 7 8 8 8 8 7 8 6 8 7 5 7 7 8 7 8 8 8 8 6 8 5

6 7 7 8 8 10 7 7 8 7 8 7 7 7 7 6 7 7 7 7 7 8 7

7 6 7 8 8 10 8 7 6 7 8 5 7 7 6 5 7 7 7 7 5 7 7

pH Lab Table 2 Participant Initial pH After Snack 3 min. after snack 8 8 8 7 7 6 7 8 7 7 7 7 7 Initial pH After Snack 3 min after chewing gum 7 8 8 8 10 8 10 7 8 7 8 7 8

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 8

8 7 7 7 8 8 8 7 8 8 8 8 7

8 7 8 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7

8 8 8 8 8 6 9 7 7 6 7 7 8

pH Lab Table 3 Participant Initial pH After Snack 3 min. after snack 7 8 7 8 7 7 7 7 7 8 8 7 8 7 7 8 8 Initial pH After Snack 3 min after chewing gum 7 6 9 6 7 6 7 7 7 7 7 8 8 8 no reading 8 8

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17

7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7

12 8 8 8 6 7 7 7 7 8 8 8 7 7 7 8 7

8 7 7 8 7 7 7 7 7 8 7 5 7 7 7 7 7

7 8 8 8 7 7 7 7 7 7 8 7 7 7 8 8 7

pH Lab Table 4 Participant Initial pH After Snack 3 min. after snack 7 7 7 5 6 7 6 7 7 6 7 6 7 7 7 7 7 Initial pH After Snack 3 min after chewing gum 7 8 7 7 6 5 7 5 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 6 7

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17

7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7

7 7 7 7 6 6 6 5 7 6 7 5 5 6 6 6 6

7 7 8 6 7 6 7 6 7 7 7 6 6 7 7 8 7

6 7 8 8 6 7 7 5 7 5 7 5 5 6 7 7 6

Conclusion: Our experiment proved to be inconclusive. We expected the pH of our participants mouths to become acidic after eating the fruit snacks. Based on our research and hypothesis we thought the pH of the participants mouths would neutralize after chewing the sugarless gum. For example: participant 12s , on Data Table #4, pH became acidic after eating the fruit snacks and neutralized after chewing the sugarless gum; this did not occur with the majority of our participants. Based on our experiment we cannot conclusively say that chewing sugarless gum after meals neutralizes the pH in our mouths. Further experimentation will have to be done to confirm or refute our results. Our experimental design will have to be reviewed and changed, possibly using a sensor to record pH instead of pH paper or extending the time between eating the fruit snacks before taking pH would produce different results.