Tooth Decay Preventive?

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31763, 21 August 1968, Page 6

Tooth Decay Preventive?

A substance which takes the stickiness out of sugar has every indication of being a major factor in the prevention of tooth decay, according to the director of the department of dental science at the Royal College of Surgeons in England (Professor B. Cohen).

He is in Christchurch to attend the fourth biennial conference of the New Zealand Dental Association as a guest lecturer .

A substance called dextra-

nase had been found to stop sugar from adhering to the teeth in the form of a sticky substance, he said in an interview. Normally, through the action of germs, acid was formed and decay resulted. “It could be a panacea, but we do not know conclusively yet,” Professor Cohen said. “We are making extensive tests on monkeys at the Royal College and the indications so far give great hope that it will prevent caries.

“These tests should be finished by the end of the year, and we will then have to begin trying the substance on humans.” The substance had been

developed from a mould and was quite harmless, Professor Cohen said.

Asked how people would take it to gain the benefit, he said that ideally, minute quantities would be added in the processing of sugar cane or beet It had to be admitted that trying to get people to stop eating sweets was not successful. “It is about all we have to offer in this situation, but we want people to eat sweets,” he said.

Research along similar lines had been developed in the United States and there was pressure to have the substance added to toothpaste now. However, this would not enable benefits to be gained and commercial interests should wait until conclusive tests had been made. Professor Cohen said that adding dextranase to sugar would not alter the structure of sugar in any way. Other methods of giving it to people could include the manufacture of a lozenge to be sucked immediately after eating sweets.

“If everything goes according to plan, I would hope that in two years dextranase will be brought into use,” he said. “But I am afraid that it will be used sooner, although I hope for longer trials.” Asked what effect this would have on dentistry, Professor Cohen said: “It would take a lot of the hack work out of dentistry and would enable dentists to concentrate much more on prevention.”

He said that a great deal of a dentist’s time was taken up in Alling holes in people’s teeth. For many it took too much of their time.

“Even if all tooth decay was to stop now there would not be a sufficient number of dentists in your country and mine to deal with repairs to existing fillings,” Professor Cohen said.

But in the future, if decay was prevented, more attention could be paid to aspects of dental health such as gum diseases, care of the soft tissue, and cancer of the mouth. The dental profession itself would be greatly improved.