Angry Birds Chewing Gum Red Bird and Green (Piggy Pig) <br />- very healthy with Xylitol - very good for teeth<br /><br />Xylitol (/ˈzaɪlɪtɒl/; Greek: ξύλον, xyl[on], "wood" + suffix -itol, used to denote sugar alcohols) is a chemical categorized as a polyalcohol or sugar alcohol (alditol). Xylitol has the formula (CHOH)3(CH2OH)2 and is an achiral[2] isomer of pentane-1,2,3,4,5-pentol. Xylitol is used as a diabetic sweetener which is roughly as sweet as sucrose with 33% fewer calories. Unlike other natural or synthetic sweeteners, xylitol is actively beneficial for dental health by reducing caries to a third in regular use and helpful to remineralization.[3] Multiple studies utilizing electron microscopy have indicated that xylitol is effective in inducing remineralization of deeper layers of demineralized enamel.[4][5] Fair evidence was found that xylitol (as chewing gum, lozenges, etc.) reduced the incidence of acute middle ear infection in healthy children.[6]<br />Xylitol is naturally found in low concentrations in the fibers of many fruits and vegetables, and can be extracted from various berries, oats, and mushrooms, as well as fibrous material such as corn husks and sugar cane bagasse,[7][8] and birch.[9] However, industrial production starts from xylan (a hemicellulose) extracted from hardwoods[10] or corncobs, which is hydrolyzed into xylose and catalytically hydrogenated into xylitol. A study in rats found that xylitol had reduced or nonexistent side effects compared to other artificial sweeteners, and lower caloric value and cariogenicity than sucrose. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xylitol