Bill Text: HI SCR156 | 2010 | Regular Session | Introduced

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

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Bill Title: Xylitol; DOH Promotion

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 5-0)

Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2010-04-01 - (H) Referred to HLT, CPC, referral sheet 58 [SCR156 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2010-SCR156-Introduced.html

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THE SENATE	S.C.R. NO.	156
TWENTY-FIFTH LEGISLATURE, 2010
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

 

REQUESTING THE Director of Health TO ENDORSE XYLITOL FOR ITS PREVENTIVE AND THERAPEUTIC HEALTH AND ORAL HEALTH BENEFITS.

 

 

     WHEREAS, the Hawaii Dental Workforce report released on December 11, 2008 at the annual meeting of the Hawaiian Islands Oral Health Task Force concludes that "Hawaii is struggling with issues related to access to oral health for all residents as well as for vulnerable populations, a shortage or maldistribution of dental practitioners, poor oral health among many subpopulations, and funding an optimal oral health care system"; and

 

     WHEREAS, there are approximately five hundred studies on PubMed that support xylitol as an effective preventative and therapeutic agent; and

 

     WHEREAS, in 1988, the Finnish Dental Association officially endorsed the use of xylitol, followed by the Swedish Dental Association the next year, and the British Dental Association in 1990, and many other national dental associations, except the American Dental Association; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Arizona State Dental Hygienists' Association and the Hawaii Dental Hygienists' Association officially endorsed the use of xylitol in 2008; and

 

     WHEREAS, xylitol has been used in foods since the 1960's and is approved in the United States as a food additive in unlimited quantity for foods with special dietary purposes, and is safe for use by those with diabetes or hypoglycemia; and

 

     WHEREAS, xylitol, with its extremely low glycemic index of 7 (compared to sugar at 100), has been shown to be effective in the prevention and treatment of diabetes and in weight management; and

 

     WHEREAS, xylitol has proven efficacy in the prevention and treatment of upper respiratory problems; and

 

     WHEREAS, xylitol's chemical structure has been shown to cause harmful bacteria and irritants to lose their ability to adhere to infected membranes, rendering them unable to grow and multiply, and thereby allowing normal washing and cleansing mechanisms to flush away the bacteria without causing resistant strains or "superbugs"; and

 

     WHEREAS, studies show that when administered to children in chewing gum or syrup, xylitol produces a reduced rate of otitis (ear infection) and a lower nasopharyngeal carriage rate of pneumococci; and

 

     WHEREAS, dental caries remain the most common chronic disease of children, despite being largely preventable; and

 

     WHEREAS, once established, dental cavities require treatment at a high cost in terms of both money and physical discomfort; and

 

     WHEREAS, many adults also have untreated dental caries, even though these caries are highly preventable; and

 

     WHEREAS, xylitol's five-carbon structure keeps it from being metabolized by oral bacteria, stopping the production of decay causing acids in the mouth, and preventing the formation of sticky bacterial buildup on the teeth; and

 

     WHEREAS, xylitol's naturally sweet and cool taste increases salivary flow, optimizing the pH level in the mouth, increasing the natural washing action of the teeth and tissues, and further promoting dental health; and

 

     WHEREAS, research has shown that new mothers having a high incidence of S. mutans bacteria (caries-inducing), who used xylitol gum regularly between three and twenty-four months after delivery, showed a significant impact on the ability of the bacteria to establish in the babies' mouths, reducing caries by seventy per cent; and

 

     WHEREAS, since humans themselves produce up to ten grams of xylitol in their bodies from other food sources daily, xylitol is not a foreign or artificial substance, but is a normal part of everyday metabolism and is widely distributed throughout nature in small amounts; and

 

     WHEREAS, in 1983, the Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives of two United Nations agencies (the Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Health Organization) gave an "acceptable daily intake" definition of "not specified" for xylitol, indicating its safety and that no special consumption limits were needed for xylitol; and

 

     WHEREAS, as indicated by previous studies, incorporating xylitol into health care programs for children, the elderly, and other populations (such as the institutionalized) will substantially reduce dental caries, upper respiratory infections, and ear infections, and lower glycemic indices, thereby assisting in the maintenance of good health for the people of this State; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-fifth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2010, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Director of Health is requested to endorse xylitol for its preventive and therapeutic health and oral health benefits for all populations of the State of Hawaii; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Governor and the Director of Health.

 

 

 

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title: 

Xylitol; Endorsement