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Chinese Scientists Are Developing A Vaccine Against Cavities (nature.com)
A vaccine against tooth decay "is urgently needed" writes Nature -- and a team of Chinese scientists is getting close. hackingbear writes:
Scientists at Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences developed low side effects and high protective efficiency using flagellin-rPAc fusion protein KFD2-rPAc, a promising vaccine candidate. In rat challenge models, KFD2-rPAc induces a robust rPAc-specific IgA response, and confers efficient prophylactic and therapeutic efficiency as does KF-rPAc, while the flagellin-specific inflammatory antibody responses are highly reduced.
It might as well be Egyptian hieroglyphics.
I thought that cavities were the result of bacteria breaking down leftover food in the mouth and that the bacteria doesn't attack the teeth itself, but rather byproducts of the metabolic process that the bacteria use to eat lead to decay of tooth enamel. Perhaps I have an incomplete (or outright incorrect) understanding, because if that's the case, just using some mouth wash periodically would be just as effective as a lot of that is anti-bacterial in addition to containing fluoride that can bond with your enamel to help repair damages.
The heart disease link is certainly interesting and that's something I've never heard of before. Might you have some literature regarding that?
As soon as farming began, dental health went straight downhill along with general health.
Damn! Is that why we're living longer?! Because we're so unhealthy? Has this thesis been peer reviewed?
Because those that had bad dental health or cavities, died early.