Susan MacPhail

18 Xylitol Shift

This sculpture compares a decaying dental arch with a healthy one to show how everyday choices, like choosing healthy plant-based xylitol over unhealthy sugar, can prevent disease and protect the entire body from chronic inflammation.

“This Independent Study, supervised by OCAD U's revered Professor Jason Lujan, contrasts two oral ecosystems to make visible the systemic consequences of everyday choices. The lower arch is divided: on the left, teeth collapse into decay beneath inflamed, red gingiva; on the right, eight intact teeth sit within calm, salmon-pink tissue. Plant forms extend this split. Sugarcane and a beehive signal harmful fermentable sugars that feed pathogenic biofilms, while birch and corn reference xylitol’s plant origins and its capacity to shift oral conditions away from disease.At the center, Susan's forged iron sculptures show her demented looking face, an iron heart and an iron brain. The brain appears to be exploding, suggesting the far reaching effects of oral pathogens. The work points to the role of Porphyromonas gingivalis in chronic inflammation and its proposed pathogenic links beyond the mouth. Shards of mirrored glass and red glass emulate the shattering impact of unanticipated dementia. By staging sugar decay against balance, the piece argues that small substitutions, like choosing daily xylitol use, can interrupt pathogenic biofilm maturation and reframe oral health as part of long term, whole body care.”