Headlines
As reported by the San Francisco Chronicle, April 3, 2009.
BASF to Market Product to Cut Cavities
By Ernest Scheyder
BASF, the world's largest chemical-maker, says it has found a way to prevent cavity-causing bacteria from attacking teeth, a development that could be seen in toothpaste, mouthwash and even candy as early as next year.
Using a microorganism related to those in yogurt cultures, the German company said it has engineered a process that clusters harmful bacteria in the mouth before they can bind with sugar and form plaque.
The organism and plaque-causing bacteria are then swallowed as part of the mouth's natural cleaning process.
It's safe to swallow the bacteria, known by the scientific name Streptococcus mutans, because it's regularly found in the mouth and humans already digest it constantly, the company said.
"There is a complex dynamic of bacteria that grow on the teeth," said University of Connecticut Health Center's Jason Tanzer, who studied BASF's results. "They can stick to those surfaces and form a film or they can be swallowed."
As part of his study, Tanzer fed two groups of rats a diet high in sugar, but put BASF's product, known as pro-t-action, in only one group's food.
Tooth decay in the rats using pro-t-action was far less pronounced than in the group not using the product, a development Tanzer called promising.
"I would be rather optimistic about this product," he said.
The active organism in pro-t-action is effectively dead, meaning it doesn't need to be kept cool - like yogurt - and can be used in a wide array of products like sugar-free candy, gum, toothpaste, and possibly beverages like smoothies. To be effective, the product needs to be in the mouth for 10 to 15 seconds.
"This is not a replacement" for brushing, said Markus Pompejus, a BASF scientist who helped develop the product. "But it clearly helps to improve your daily oral hygiene."
BASF hopes to have pro-t-action on store shelves by 2010 or 2011.