Ditch the minty toothpaste and try coconut oil instead: Fruit can kill bug behind tooth decay

• Research paves method for toothpaste and mouthwashes that contains coconut being an component

By Fiona Macrae Science Correspondent

Released: 23:52 GMT, 2 September 2012

One a lot of Bounty sweets could make you looking for a visit to the dreaded dental professional.

But researchers have discovered that coconut may help fight the primary bug behind cavities.

Researchers examined coconut oil against Streptococcus mutans – a sugar-loving bacteria that clings to teeth and produces acidity leading to these to rot.

Benefit: Coconut may help fight the primary bug behind cavities, researchers in Ireland have discovered

Once the oil was given digestive support enzymes it grew to become a effective killer from the bug.

It makes way for toothpaste and mouthwashes that contains coconut being an active component.

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Lead investigator Dr Damien Brady, from the Athlone Institute of Technology in Ireland, stated: ‘Dental caries is really a generally overlooked health condition affecting 60 to 90 percent of kids and the most grown ups in industrialised nations.

‘Incorporating enzyme-modified coconut oil into oral cleanliness items could be a beautiful option to chemical chemicals, particularly because it works at relatively low levels.’

He added that his findings could end up being important thinking about the issue of bugs’ growing potential to deal with many existing antibiotic remedies.

Dr Brady’s experiments were inspired by previous research showing that partly digested milk made S. mutans less inclined to stay with tooth enamel.

He stated: ‘Our data indicates that items of human digestion show antimicrobial activity.

‘This might have implications for the way bacteria colonise cells lining the digestive system as well as for overall stomach health.’

Lucrative plans to see if the enzyme-treated coconut oil has every other killer characteristics.

Tests already suggest it combats Candidiasis, which in turn causes thrush, the Society for General Microbiology’s fall conference heard.

Bug-killer: The study makes way for toothpaste and mouthwashes that contains coconut being an active component