Seaweed microbe could be next weapon in fight against tooth decay
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Researchers at the UK's Newcastle University have discovered an enzyme from a microbe on the surface of seaweed is effective at fighting plaque-forming bacteria
Research groups led by Newcastle University's School of Marine Science and Technology's Professor Grant Burgess and Dr Nicholas Jakubovics from the University's School of Dental Sciences have found that an enzyme isolated from Bacillus licheniformis is effective at dispersing microbes bacteria that cause plaque
From an early age, parents and dentists alike will continually stress the importance of effective dental hygiene into the consciousness of a child but for me, the message didn't really hit home until I met Pogues front-man Shane MacGowan backstage at Leeds University in the mid-1980s. I've been a dedicated twice daily brusher ever since and have noted all manner of decay-fighting ingredients finding their way into my choice of toothpastes, including extracts from cocoa, the neem tree, aloe vera and eucalyptus. New research from the UK suggests using microbes to fight microbes, or more precisely an enzyme from bacteria found on the surface of seaweed. Lab tests have shown that the enzyme is effective in fighting plaque and the researchers believe that the discovery could lead to more effective oral hygiene products.
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