The Use of Functional Confections in Promoting Oral Health
Oral Health, Oral Cancer, Gum Disease
About this trial
This is an interventional prevention trial for Oral Health focused on measuring Functional food, Strawberries, Gummies, Smoker, Nonsmoker
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria:
- Submit to a 24 hour urine cotinine test which will be used to determine smoking status.
- Meet one of the following smoking criteria
Non-smoker
- Does not currently smoke or has no history of smoking or using tobacco related products (cigarettes, cigars, pipe, snuff, or chewing tobacco) or smoking any non-tobacco related products and urine cotinine (less than 100 ng/mL
- Does not currently smoke but has quit smoking for more than 10 years and smoked less than 1 pack/day of cigarettes when they were actively smoking and has a urine cotinine (less than 100 ng/mL).
Smoker
- Smokes habitually at least 10 cigarettes/day and a urine cotinine level of >1000 ng/mL. Cigar and pipe smokers who smoke at least 10 grams of tobacco daily are also eligible.
- Agree to consume a standardized vitamin and mineral supplement and avoid other nutritional, dietary, or alternative medications/supplements for the duration of the study.
- No history of malabsorptive, gastrointestinal or other metabolic disorders requiring special diet recommendations.
- Body mass index (BMI) between 20 and 35 kg/m2
- Abstain from purple and red colored foods and beverages which contain significant anthocyanins and polyphenols
- Abstain from the use of ANY mouth washes (commercial or home remedies)during 6 week study period
Exclusion Criteria
- Have a known allergy to strawberries, corn, and wheat products or those who have never consumed any of these products.
- Have active metabolic or digestive illnesses such as malabsorptive disorders (Crohn's, ileus, IBS), renal insufficiency, hepatic insufficiency, hyper- or hypothyroidism, cachexia, morbid obesity, or short bowel syndrome.
- Have a history of pituitary hormone diseases that currently require supplemental hormonal administration (thyroid hormones, ACTH, growth hormone, insulin) or other endocrine disorders requiring hormone administration.
- Have significant loss of gastrointestinal organs due to surgery, except for appendix.
- Have altered immunity such as chronic inflammatory disease, autoimmune disorders, cancer, anemia, hemophilia, and blood dyscrasias.
- Heavy alcohol consumers defined as >15 glasses/week (one glass = 1.5 oz. liquor, 5 oz. wine, or 12 oz. beer).
- Antibiotic use in the last 6 months or on medications that will accelerate or decrease bowel motility.
- Are receiving or in need of dental treatment during the study period.
- Have noticeable open lesions, sores that have not healed for more than 3 months, have had any active oral lesions or maladies within the last month, or have a history of leukoplakia, tumors of the buccal cavity, throat, and lips.
- Have difficulty swallowing (dysphagia), pain with swallowing (odynophagia), salivary gland dysfunction, or xerostomia (dry mouth).
- A "non-smoker" who is currently or has a history (less than 10 years of smoking abstinence) of either tobacco or non-tobacco related smoking.
- Women, who are planning to conceive in the next 6 months, suspect they are pregnant, pregnant, or nursing.
- Are taking medications that inhibit clotting (warfarin sodium) or using prescribed oral rinses (Peridex).
Sites / Locations
- The Ohio State University
Arms of the Study
Arm 1
Arm 2
Placebo Comparator
Active Comparator
Placebo gummy
Strawberry gummy
Each 6 gram placebo gummy contains 79% corn syrup (Karo, ACH Food Companies, Memphis, TN), 20% wheat starch (Confectioners G, Tate and Lyle PLC., Decatur, IL), 1% artificial strawberry flavors (Kool-Aid Kraft Foods, East Hanover, NJ).
Each 6 gram strawberry gummy contains 45% freeze-dried fruit (California Strawberry Commission), 44% corn syrup (Karo, ACH Food Companies, Memphis, TN), 11% wheat starch (Confectioners G, Tate and Lyle PLC., Decatur, IL). With this formulation, daily fruit consumption is equivalent to 1 cup of whole strawberries. All ingredients (wheat starch, freeze-dried fruit, and high fructose corn syrup) will be purchased from a single lot. When a single lot is not available then the multiple manufacturing lots will be mixed into a single lot to be used for production of fruit gummies.