Eat candy – prevent tooth decay

CHICAGO - Most children are told to stay away from chewy candies to keep their teeth cavity-free, but children in Venezuela who ate a special cavity-fighting candy had 62 percent fewer cavities than those who brushed their teeth regularly, researchers said on Tuesday.

Children in the study were testing the effectiveness of BasicMints, an experimental fluoride-free treatment designed to mimic a component in human saliva that neutralizes acids in the mouth that can erode tooth enamel.

Half the children in the study took two of the medicated mints in the morning after brushing with a fluoride toothpaste. They followed the same routine at night. The other half brushed normally twice daily with fluoride toothpaste and took plain sugarless mints.

After 12 months, children who took the cavity-fighting mints had 61.7 percent fewer cavities than the placebo group.

The soft mints are designed to be dissolved and chewed into the biting surfaces of the back teeth, where about 90 percent of cavities in children occur.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24028411/

HUUUUMMMMM, so there is .......

a component in human saliva that neutralizes acids in the mouth that can erode tooth enamel

Now wasn't it One Citizen that was telling me I was full of crap for stating that "tooth decay is a genetic problem".

.

My sister had no cavaties until she was in her early twenties- and precious few since even then.

I had one when I was about 15. I didn't get any more until I was nearly 40. I wish I had such good fortune with my gums, but I'm a smoker so I can't expect too much.