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Will tooth decay become a thing of the past?
There is no denying the importance of good dental health. Dentist and others in the healthcare industry have been searching for ways to prevent tooth decay and improve overall oral health for decades. Now, those same Dentists have a new reason to smile. A report from researchers at UCLA show that they have, hopefully, developed a mouthwash that prevents cavities and stops tooth decay.
In trials, the mouthwash was able to completely eliminate the S. mutans bacteria, which is the main cause of tooth decay, with just one rinse. To make it more exciting, the people who participated in the study remained free of the bacteria for the full four days of the experiment, without having to rinse again.
But how can a mouthwash do all of that?
The mouthwash uses a very different sort of antimicrobial technology called STAMP. Unlike traditional mouthwashes that claim to have antiseptic germ killers, this mouthwash only targets the harmful bacteria. You see, the average human mouth is teeming with over 100 trillion bacteria. However, 99 percent of them are there to do good things. When we use antiseptic mouthwashes to combat the bad bacteria, we end up wiping out all of them.
With this new technology, researches have found a way to leave the good bacteria and just fight the one that causes decay.
In addition to changing the world of dental health, researchers are optimistic that this same technology can be applied in other areas of healthcare. For example, creating products that fight only the bad bacterial in the nose or stomach.
As promising as this research is, you won't find the mouthwash in stores just yet. Based on the study results, researchers have applied for FDA approval. Once they receive it, they will begin more studies and clinical trials before being able to put the product on shelves.
This is big news for Dentistry. If the mouthwash gets approved, it will be the first product designed to fight tooth decay since fluoride.
What do you think about the research? Would you be interested in using this mouthwash? Please share your thoughts in the comments.
By Melissa Kennedy- Melissa is a 9 year blog veteran and a freelance writer for HealthcareJobsiteBlog and Nexxt.. Along with helping others find the job of their dreams, she enjoys computer geekery, raising a teenager, supporting her local library, writing about herself in the third person and working on her next novel.
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