Welcome to the Supertooth Blog Supertooth and the Good Food Friends Plaque Watch school project http://supertooth.ndk.biz    http://fooddownunder.com

A significant body of evidence indicates that there was a 60% drop in tooth decay in the 10 years following wide use of fluoride but that there has been no further reduction over the last 20 years. The current system needs to add a new more innovative project that targets areas like food left on teeth after eating.

New food/confection/tablet technology can seal teeth before eating to prevent food being trapped and changed to acid while eating.
PE foam technology can develop an all in one brush/floss'n'chew foam strip gum that does not stick everywhere and helps saliva remove food after eating, neutralise acid and repair demineralised tooth. The technology is used in the online Supertooth and the good food friends school/community project http://supertooth.ndk.biz with simple experiments that proove the technology and helps develop better, more convenient, tooth care skills that doesn't leave food on teeth after eating..
 
The technology can produce new better more convenient oral hygiene products in joint ventures with Confection, Pharmacetical, Dairy and foam extrusion industries and replicate the $21.5billion global oral hygiene industry because it is easy and convenient to use before and after eating, with a great fresh breath taste.
 
Tooth decay is still the most common and the second most costly diet-related disease in Australia with an economic impact comparable with that of heart disease and diabetes (AHMAC 2001) . Ironically, dental decay and gum disease are also some of the most preventable conditions. http://www.ada.org.au/_DHW2005.asp

Approximately $3.7 billion was spent on dental services in the year 2001-02, representing 5.4 percent of total health expenditure (AIHW 2003a).

Preventing this chronic most preventable food related disease with Supertooth and the Good Food Friends could pilot effective public health and health promotion for  schools and communities and involve industry and dental professionals.

Supertooth and the Good Food Friends online school/community dental health project has simple teaching aids that help develop and measure skills to clean gum margins like brushing, between teeth like flossing and inside pits and fissures in grooves under chewing pressure. Also simple experiments that show how chewing fibre like celery string after eating, helps remove trapped food without a brush. Also how chewing some foods before eating, seal grooves in chewing surfaces where 80% of cavities occur to help prevent food being trapped and changed to acid while eating, just like fillings and fissure sealant treatment from the dentist.

The Auditor General reported 5 to 6 year old Victorian children had 1.47 decayed, missing and filled teeth - compared with the national average of 0.97. There has been no reduction in tooth decay in the last 20 years. Australian School Dental Scheme and the Child Dental Health Survey, Victoria 1999, AIHW Cat. No. DEN 87. http://www.audit.vic.gov.au/reports_par/agp8302.html

The average child develops one cavity by 6 and another by 12 years. Dental caries increases four-fold between the ages of 12-21 years.
http://www.ada.org.au/media/documents/Products_Publications/Dental%20Update/Dental%20Update%202005/20%20DU%20JUN%2005.pdf

Almost all cavities occur where food is trapped between teeth and inside pits and fissures in grooves on chewing surfaces after every meal or snack and where the brush, toothpaste, mouthwash, chewing gum and saliva cannot reach. No current dental health project removes trapped food after eating. However treatment with fissure sealants and fillings prevent food being trapped inside grooves and changed to acid. Chewing suitable sealants before eating can offer the same protection.

Chewing Barium Sulphate with suitable fibre before x-rays (above) shows where food is trapped and that it is hard to replace indicating that chewing a suitable sealant before eating, helps prevent food being trapped and changed to acid. This may prove to be a low cost diagnostic aid for dental professionals as well as demonstrating how chewing a suitable sealant and or a suitable fibre like celery string for a few minutes after eating also helps displace trapped food, neutralize acid and repair demineralised tooth.

A glass model of a fissure in a tooth is one of the Supertooth experiments that like the evidence of chewing Barium Sulphate, shows how food is trapped while chewing, displacing previously trapped food. However some foods like cheese and chocolate are hard to remove but displace other foods more effectively.

The glass model  also shows how chewing fibre like celery string or other suitable fibre after eating, helps remove trapped food.

It is easy to involve many groups like schools, service clubs like Rotary and others to help promote the Supertooth and Good Friends project on http://supertooth.ndk.biz so participants can see plaque on teeth and compare methods and skills that remove plaque.

The Supertooth project can also attract thousands of participants at public events showing plaque on teeth and how to remove plaque.

Dentists can down load the Supertooth logo for staff name tags and supermarkets can use the logo to promote tooth friendly products and healthy foods.

This is also an opportunity to develop cooperative joint venture projects with departments of human services, education, universities, researchers dental professionals and industries like pharmaceutical, dairy, even the confectionary industry, to develop new more profitable, convenient and effective oral health products.
 
I hope dentists, parents, teachers, education and health autorities will use the Supertooth and good food friends project and use the logo to make name badges for staff and the teaching aids to help develop tooth care skills that do not leave food on teeth after every meal or snack.

Regards yndk@ndk.biz