Yes, you’re right, it’s more of an antibiotic, but it seems to have a balancing effect on the oral microbiome.

The research is still nascent and inconclusive, though. Here’s an interesting study: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17263856/.

> Conclusions: The results suggest that chewing gum with xylitol or sorbitol/maltitol can reduce the amount of dental plaque and acid production in saliva in schoolchildren, but only the xylitol-containing gum may also interfere with the microbial composition.