It isn't often you hear of mousse being good for your teeth. Now an Australian science and business cooperative has developed a topical treatment paste that dental patients can apply in their own homes to repair tooth decay.
Australian and Japanese researchers in the The Cooperative Research Centre for Oral Heath Science (CRC-OHS) set out to find a method of using fluoride in a more effective way than traditional forms to prevent tooth decay. The remarkable new product penetrates 10 times deeper into teeth than current fluoride treatments.
The treatment combines fluoride with a substance designed to penetrate tooth enamel. Known as peptide-calcium phosphate nanocomplex, it repairs tooth damage by replacing the minerals lost through the decay process. Researchers at The University of Melbourne developed the fluoride and nanocomplex formulation, before product development moved to Tokyo to a laboratory of GC Corporation Japan - a participant in the CRC-OHS.
The CEO of the Cooperative Research Centre for Oral Health Science, and the Head of Dental Science at The University of Melbourne, Professor Eric Reynolds, describes Tooth Mousse Plus as a breakthrough in oral health care. "Laboratory tests and clinical trials have shown Tooth Mousse Plus not only provides the highest level of fluoride protection now available for teeth, but that it can also repair existing decay damage. It's the result of a real team effort by molecular scientists, dentists and formulation chemists."
More than 600,000 patients worldwide in 50 countries have benefited from the new treatment since its release 18 months ago, including 100,000 patients in Australia. The global oral care industry is estimated to be worth more than US$20 billion per annum.
Around 95 per cent of all Australian adults over the age of 38 have had dental decay. Approximately a quarter of Australian adults have untreated decay, which if left untreated can result in tooth loss and in some cases serious illness.
The Cooperative Research Centre for Oral Heath Science (CRC-OHS) at The University of Melbourne has just been awarded a prestigious prize for Excellence in Innovation. The prize, which was presented by Cooperative Research Centre Association (CRCA) at its annual conference, recognised the achievements of Tooth Mousse Plus.