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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