Two new treatments to prevent caries have been reported recently.
In the July issue of Nature Biotechnology, a collaboration of European scientists led by Swedish researcher Lennart Hammarström described a study they conducted to see whether the bacterium Lactobacillus zeae could be engineered to produce an antibody that was effective against a pathogen that causes caries over long periods.
When researchers administered the engineered L. zeae to rats that had been infected with the caries-causing pathogen Streptococcus mutans, they found the bacterium reduced not only the number of pathogenic bacteria, but also the number of cavities they produced. In contrast to an antibody given alone that is quickly broken down, removed from the mouth or both, L. zeae was able to persist in the mouth for three weeks and continually fight the bacteria that cause caries.
As L. zeae bacterium is regarded as safe for use in humans, researchers said the new approach seems promising for use in dental treatments to protect against dental caries.
In a study reported in the June issue of Pediatric Dentistry, researchers investigated the effectiveness of iodine in preventing early childhood cavities.
They applied 10 percent solution of iodine to the teeth and gingivae of 83 children 12 to 19 months of age. The subjects were healthy, free of cavities and received a bottle containing a beverage other than water at naptime or bedtime. They also were tested for the presence of S. mutans.
The iodine solution was applied to the teeth and gingivae of 39 children every second month, while unsweetened tea was applied to the teeth and gingivae of the 44 control subjects.
Researchers found that 91 percent of the subjects who received the iodine solution were free of cavities after 12 months compared with 54 percent of the control subjects.
