Does anybody know if this Xylitol stuff is for real? They have started advertising like crazy here in Japan.

According to the website, Xylitol is a kind of sugar like Sorbitol. Unlike sugar though the bacteria that eat your teeth don't like it and so supposedly, chew gum with Xylitol in it will give you better teeth. They want you to chew quite alot too. Basically anytime you eat anything with sugar in it they claim you should chew a stick or two which they claim is like 10 sticks a day. If they could get everybody to do it that would be like $30 a month from each person at one pack a day.

It all sounds kind of fishy which is why I'm asking