We’re constantly told that sweets are bad for our teeth, as well as our overall health. But new research suggests that they could reduce the levels of harmful bacteria in the mouth which can lead to tooth decay.
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They help to stop the bugs that cause decay to stick to the surface of our teeth, where they trigger erosion; instead, the harmful bacteria are swallowed in salvia and flushed out of the body.
The boiled sweets, developed by German firm Organobalance GMBH, could be targeted at children to try to avoid the early onset of tooth decay, something which affects one in four five-year-olds.
Streptococcus mutans, the most harmful bacterium in the mouth, feeds on sugar in the diet, which it ferments into an acid that burns holes in the surface of a tooth. The most effective way to reduce bacteria numbers at the minute is to brush and floss regularly to reduce the plaque.
The sugar-free sweets work by using a type of friendly probiotic bacteria (lactobacillus paracasei) to bind to the harmful type (streptococcus mutans).The research found that 75 per cent of those given the bacteria-loaded sweets had significantly lower levels of streptococcus mutans after eating only one sweet and this reduction persisted throughout the experiment.
The sweets could be available within the next year or two. Scientists are also developing toothpastes and mouthwashes containing the friendly bacteria.
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