Children Caries Free For Life   

Supertooth Project 2NDK

An oral health project to end decay

A new 10 year National Oral Health plan has been developed and promises to prevent tooth decay our most common disease affecting over eleven million Australians of all ages each year where acid demineralisation regularly exceeds remineralisation.

Caries incidence like that of 12 year olds has remained much the same over the last 25 years since fluoridation and the Supertooth project 2NDK has highlighted evidence based opportunities that can largely end decay and the Prime Minister’s National Innovation and Science Agenda. 

Over eighty percent of cavities occur deep inside pits and fissures¹ where food is trapped² (X-ray tomography) and resident plaque bacteria change any carbohydrates like sugar to acid that demineralises tooth that brushing saliva and fluoride cannot reach to clean, neutralise acid and remineralise tooth.

Sealants Dentists place over chewing surfaces block food access and prevent decay, were forced inside pits and fissures and he tooth dissolved in acid³  leading  to Monash developing a sealant toothpaste tablet to chew before brushing to block food access, neutralise acid and remineralise all tooth surfaces, including those brushing cannot reach.

X-ray tomography² helped make simple glass models (below) of a fissure that that anyone can use to replicate how food is trapped and how brushing saliva and fluoride cannot reach to clean, neutralise acid and remineralise tooth. There are a few basic videos on www.youtube.com/supertoothndk that help you see how this simple project can help end decay. We hope to have more professional videos made when new sealant toothpaste tablets and elastomer gum products are available.

The glass models also show how chewing celery after eating forces saliva inside trapped food to dilute sugars, neutralise acid and remineralise tooth much better than sugar free gum that cannot absorb or expel saliva.

Fast food industries like McDonald’s may like to add a small stick of celery to meals or snacks to chew after eating and support the new 10 year National Oral Health Plan and boost their image.

Wouldn’t you like to explore how these points of difference can better prevent decay and can help the free RMIT data base being developed to monitor oral health, in which families and individuals can register to record any fillings inside pits and fissures, between teeth and on surfaces that are easy to brush and to compare with the average for their post code, state and the nation.

The data base will also help parents send baby molar teeth that fall out from children, to the Tooth Fairy Project 2NDK for examination at the Australian synchrotron to see differences between teeth from fluoride and non-fluoride areas as well as why some teeth don’t develop cavities.

The data base is at early stages of development  but you may like to look at it and offer any thoughts. www.supertoothndk.org.au

Better tooth care prevents decay with new dentall health promotion

Although fluoride has greatly reduced tooth decay, it has remained at the same level over the last 25 years and is still our most common disease affecting over 11 million Australians each year because frequent acid demineralisation events exceed remineralisation between meals or snacks.

All cavities occur from an accumulation of demineralisation episodes that exceed saliva and fluoride remineralisation where food is left on teeth and any carbohydrate like sugar is changed to acid by resident plaque bacteria that brushing cannot reach.

Over 90% of cavities in children occur from acid demineralisation inside pits and fissures where food is left trapped and brushing, fluoride and saliva have no access to reduce demineralisation and remineralise tooth like on easy to reach surfaces.

Sealants placed over chewing surfaced, block food from being trapped and prevents cavities inside pits and fissures. Photos of sealants forced inside pits and fissures under the same chewing pressure as food, show much deeper penetration which is replicated with the Supertooth glass model of a fissure that also shows that brushing cannot force toothpaste inside pits and fissures.

Chewing sugarless gum after eating helps increase saliva flow around the mouth, but cannot absorb and expel saliva like chewing fibre such as celery, that also forces saliva into trapped food inside pits and fissures to dilute carbohydrate like sugar, neutralise acid and remineralise demineralised tooth like on easy to reach surfaces.

For more information on how to prevent tooth decay and improve oral health to share with friends on Facebook and Twitter, visit www.supertoothndk.org

What do you think of the Supertooth new logo? Is it good for national oral health promotion?

Dental Health Reform

Tooth decay is easy to prevent yet caries is still the most common global disease even in fluoridated communities like Australia where over 11 million consumers (about half the population) develop a cavity each year.

There are number of health reform reports that barely merntion oral health and oral health reports that indicate how oral health can impact on general health but generally Oral health takes a back seat even at the Consumers Reforming Health Conference at the Melbourne Convention Centre from Monday18 - Wednesday 20 July 2011

All cavities occur from carbohydrate fueled demineralisation that exceeds saliva and fluoride remineralisation where food is frequently left on teeth.

Over 90% of child decay occurs deep inside fits and fissures on chewing surfaces where bushing cannot reach while saliva, fluorise and mouthwash have no access to dilute and carbohydrate like sugar, neuralise acids or remineralise tooth like on easy to reach surfaces where few cavities occur.

The Supertooth project has a glass model of a tooth that replicates how food is trapped under chewing pressure has forced sealant fillings inside pits and fissures of extracted teeth that were then dissolved in acid leaving an impression of where food is trapped even deep inside minute canals at the bottom of pits and fissures as in the photo.

Chewing the first few bites of a meal or snack, forces those bites deepest inside pits and fissures where demineralisation starts if carbohydrate is present so it is very important to share the message not to start eating with carbohydrate rich foods like sugar confection. Perhaps governments should provide incentives for confectioners and fast food outlets to provide sugar free confection or biscuits to chew before eating to reduce demineralisation.

Chewing fibre like celery after eating helps force saliva inside trapped food to dilute sugars, neutralise acids and remineralise demineralised tooth like on easy to reach surfaces wher far, far less cavities occur. This could also be as suggestion for fas food outlets, even to chew after eating at home and at school.