Research Into Causes Of Tooth Decay

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31587, 26 January 1968, Page 16

Research Into Causes Of Tooth Decay

Other elements, as well as fluoride, may reduce the incidence of tooth decay, according to Dr T. G. Ludwig, director of the Dental Research Unit in Wellington. More importance was being given the role which micro or trace elements might have in promoting the formation of more perfect teeth and limiting dental disease, he said yesterday at the congress of the Australian and New Zealand Association for the Advancement of Science. Apart from fluoride, the influence other micro-elements might have on dental health was largely undetermined. It had been suggested that increased amounts of selenium increased tooth decay, while

increased amount of molybdenum, vanadium or strontium might decrease it “Some evidence is available to suggest that molybdenum may have a protective effect against caries in humans,” Dr Ludwig said. He and his co-workers in New Zealand had demonstrated that dental caries incidence was lower in the city of Napier than in the adjacent city of Hastings. “Napier was situated on a different kind of soil from Hastings, and vegetables grown on Napier soils contained higher amounts of molybdenum, aluminium and titanium,” he added. “Hastings vegetables contained increased amounts of copper, manganese, barium and strontium. “Molybdenum levels were higher in the urines of Napier children than those of Hastings, and there was some evidence that the molybdenum content of the teeth of Napier children was increased,” Dr Ludwig said. He described some of the effects which micro-elements have been found to have had on the teeth of rats. But none of the findings could be regarded as conclusive, he added. More research was required.