Annals of Dentistry: New Product Claim

Environmental & Science Education, STEM, Health, Medicine, Science & Society, Nature of Science

Ed Hessler

 

Internet was down due to the heavy rain last night and it just returned at about 12:15 pm.

What is the most chronic disease in children?  I'd never have guessed OSS writer Jonathan Jarry's answer. 

 

He states that it is dental caries and makes an interesting observation about a possible reason--"the separation between medicine and dentistry." 

Jarry's essay is about a product, "a bacterium that you paint onto your teeth. It superinfects your mouth, taking over for the bacteria responsible for caries. A single application lasts a lifetime," specifically, the probiotic Lumina. I urge you to visit their site.

Jarry reviews

--the difference between the term "cavity" and "dental caries"

--how a particular bacterium was identified as the cause of dental caries

--a chance event that led to the idea of replacing the "cause" with a harmless relative

--requirements that this new strain must meet

--the search for the new strain

--a filing with the FDA for a new drug application -- I appreciated learning more about the process and reasons for the "red tape"

--a new filing to get around the strict requirements of a new drug using another pathway

--safety concerns, studies

--what we know that works and why it works including the dynamics of what goes on in the mouth's environment

And, of course, Jarry includes 3 take home messages

Read Jarry's essay and about OSS.