The Medical Daily published a study that found “chewing gum for up to 10 minutes can remove 100 million bacteria, or 10 percent of the microbial load in saliva”. The researchers found that after about 30 seconds the gum’s bacteria-trapping abilities began to wane and recommend keeping gum chewing at less than 10 minutes. They also noted that gum chewing is not a replacement for more traditional oral hygiene (brushing and flossing). Make sure if you are going to chew gum it is sugarless.