The essential cause of this state of health: our diet rich in sugar and flour which reduces the amount of good bacteria, giving way to bad bacteria causing cavities and other gum problems.
Our ancestors did not have bad breath
To investigate the health of our mouths, Professor Cooper and his team analyzed the DNA of tartar from the teeth of 34 prehistoric humans found in Northern Europe. They were thus able to conclude that we had a lot more bad bacteria in our mouths. And that all the bacteria present in general were much less diversified than in prehistoric men. ” However, the diversity of bacteria protects against diseases (obesity, autism, diabetes) “recalls Alan Cooper. Moreover, contrary to what one might imagine, the breath of prehistoric people “was probably not that bad”, according to Professor Cooper.
For Professor Cooper, the health of our mouths has been disrupted by the introduction of agriculture and the industrial revolution which has encouraged the development of processed food.
How can we improve the health of our mouths?
The best thing to do to improve our oral health according to Professor Copper is to reduce our consumption of foods rich in sugar and carbohydrates. “The ideal is to consume a wide variety of fresh and organic products produced locallyadvises Alan Cooper. And strangely, the professor authorizes the brushing of teeth, but advises against antibacterial mouthwashes which “do more harm than goodsince they reduce the necessary diversity of bacteria. In general, the researcher more generally recommends that children play outside in order to “getting dirty and being exposed to germsto better guard against it.
