It is used as a natural sweetener in China.

An example of a sweetener that can benefit dental health is xylitol.

Stevia Stevia has been widely used as a natural sweetener in South America for centuries and in Japan since 1970.

The sweetener was being evaluated for incorporation into non food items, such as toothpaste, mouthwash, throat lozenges and cough medicine.

According to market analysts Freedonia, the United States artificial sweetener market is set to grow at around 8 per year to 189 million in 2012.

Aspartame is currently the most popular artificial sweetener in the U.S. food industry, as the price has dropped significantly since the Monsanto Company patent expired in 1992.

In the field of consumer health, the Committee noted that tagatose, a natural alternative to table sugar and artificial sweeteners, was providing a safe sweetener for diabetics without causing dental cavities or tooth decay.