Here is a piece of information that will please all stomatophobes (i.e. dental phobics): researchers from the Institute of Virology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences may have succeeded in creating a vaccine against caries…
KFD2-rPAc (that’s its little scientific name) directly attacks bacteria of the Streptococcus mutans type which transform sugar into lactic acid, a substance which attacks the enamel and causes cavities to appear.
Tested on mice, the vaccine (to be injected) now has an effectiveness rate of around 64%: it allows the development of immunity against bad bacteria and therefore protection against cavities. This is the second version of the vaccine developed by Chinese scientists: the first version caused an undesirable inflammatory reaction, now corrected.
Brush your teeth twice a day with fluoride toothpaste
Each year, 190 million cavities are treated worldwide. Good news: between 1970 and 2006, according to the World Health Organization, the prevalence of cavities decreased by 80% in patients aged 20 years. In France, 98% of adults have already had (or will have) a cavity during their life. When the cavity is not treated, it continues to develop: in the long term, this can lead to the extraction of the infected tooth, too destroyed to be treated.
A vaccine against cavities would therefore make it possible to avoid a certain number of health concerns… But there is no question of ignoring brushing your teeth for all that: the UFSBD recommends 2 brushings a day (morning and evening) during at least 2 minutes with a fluoridated toothpaste.
This work has been published in the specialized journal Scientific Reports.
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