Candy That Prevents Cavities

Responsible parents limit their children's candy intake knowing very well that candy is bad for their health. Besides the growing obesity problem in the US, tooth decay is a primary concern. The numbers are alarming with over 40% of children and adolescents experiencing dental caries. Now a UCLA scientist, Wenyuan Shi, has developed a lollipop that actually prevents tooth decay. This new type of candy could give parents a piece of mind in terms of oral health as well as obesity. But it is also a first step in developing alternative testing and treatment methods in regard to bacteria based health problems. Could the answer to our problems be in ancient Chinese medicine and herbs? And are there other tasty treatment methods on the horizon?

It has become more and more common among western scientists and medical practitioners to look into ancient traditional medicine in order to treat common ailments. Especially ancient Chinese medical treatments are of interest to these scientists, with its wealth of thousands and thousands of medicinal herbs. Now one of those herbs, a compound of licorice, has been found to prevent tooth decay. And the compound is delivered in what tooth-decay fearing parents try to limit the most, lollipops!

According to a report based on the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and published on the website of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 41% of young children had primary tooth caries and 42% of adolescents and 90% of adults had permanent tooth caries (in the time frame from 1999-2002). These numbers are cause for concern.

Tooth decay, better known as the term 'caries', occurs, when a tooth's enamel is slowly destroyed by acid produced by bacteria in the mouth. The bacteria are normally present in the mouth. Their purpose is to break down carbohydrate containing food residues on the teeth (food containing sugars and starches). The outcome is acid, which in the long run combines with other food residue and saliva to build plaque on the teeth. This in turn can lead to cavities and tooth loss.

To protect the children's teeth, parents, teachers, dentists, and other healthcare professionals nationwide have been diligently teaching proper oral care to the little ones. The government even adds fluoride to tap water in an effort to strengthen teeth against decay. The children are not only being taught proper dental cleaning procedures, but also a list of foods that promote tooth decay and should be avoided. At the top of the list, one can find, candy and soda. Especially items like bon-bons and lollipops, sugar-loaded candy, which is kept in the mouth for a prolonged amount of time, carry a high risk of causing caries.

While these preventive measures can be very effective, they don't target the root of the problem. These measures do not eliminate or diminish the bacteria that are responsible for causing tooth decay, such as streptococcus mutans.

Wenyuan Shi, a microbiologist at UCLA, and his team are working on targeting exactly these, the bad bacteria in the mouth that actually cause the problems. They have undertaken the task of investigating medical therapeutic methods for dental problems, but also for other areas of the body, where bacteria can cause problems such as the nose, ear, and intestines. For the past eight years, the scientists have been working on the identification of those of the about seven hundred bacteria present in a human mouth that are capable of causing tooth decay. The goal is to develop methods to target the bad bacteria without destroying the good bacteria needed to keep up the functions of the human body.

The teams' primary focus is on developing natural methods of fighting the bad bacteria. For this purpose, they have been studying and conducting experiments with Chinese herbs. In the case of identifying an herb that can prevent tooth decay, Shi actually performed fifty thousand experiments on two thousand Chinese herbs. He ultimately was able to identify a licorice compound as an element that kills streptococcus mutans, the tooth decay bacteria.

The team ultimate goal is to not only find alternative prevention and treatment methods, but also easy testing methods for the presence of harmful bacteria. This approach would make health care user-friendlier, especially for kids. Imagine a simple spit test to check for oral health problems, just like a urine or blood sample can be used to check for common medical problems. Who wouldn't prefer that to the dentist poking and prodding around inside one's mouth?

As a first result, a supposively tasty lollipop, marketed as Dr. John's Herbal Candy, is hailed to actually be good for the teeth. The orange-flavored lollipop is not only sugar-free but also infused with that before-mentioned natural compound in licorice, which is known to kill the primary tooth decay causing bacterium, streptococcus mutans. The lollipop is slowly releasing the compound, which then kills the bacteria. According to Shi it takes five minutes to kill the bacteria, and lollipops, naturally consumed in a slow manner, is the perfect device to deliver the 'death blow'. In order to be effective, Shi recommends a twice daily consumption of the lollipop for ten days, and then two to four times a year after that.

The lollipops are currently in the human testing stage to test for its efficiency in preventing tooth decay. Meanwhile oral health care product companies, such as Colgate have expressed interest in Shi's research and are looking for methods to add the compounds to their products.

If the lollipops were effective, it would be a health treatment children will love!