Dr. Richard Parsanko runs Sonoran Desert Dentistry in Scottsdale, Arizona. Here, he talks about a new vaccine that’s being developed against tooth decay and could prevent cavities.
Want to get rid of cavities forever? If you’re over the age of one, you should keep brushing, flossing, and avoiding huge amounts of sugar. But soon, a vaccine will be available for babies that could stave off cavities for the rest of their lives. Imagine how many times you could go to an amusement park with your kid instead of the dentist.
For most of the 20th century, the only way dentists could treat cavities was to “drill and fill.” Now, Harvard Medical School and the Forsyth Institute in Boston are developing a vaccine against the cause of tooth decay — the bacteria streptococcus mutans. There is a real need for this vaccine: Tooth decay, or dental caries, is five times more common a childhood disease than asthma in the United States. And the treatment eats up a huge portion of our national health budget.
The vaccine would be applied by squirting a spray or inserting a wet swab inside the nostrils of one-year-old baby — far more baby-friendly than a shot. Researchers have concluded that it is best to vaccinate children at around the age of one, right after their teeth begin to emerge, but before the bacteria streptococcus mutans begins to make its home in the mouth. Once the bacteria have already accumulated, antibodies would still form against it as a result of the vaccine, but would not be effective in staving off tooth decay.
Human clinical trials are proceeding currently and we may see the vaccine on the market in the next few years. It might take as long as five years or so, because it usually takes a while to make sure a vaccine is safe.
How would it work? A cavity is actually a bacterial infection. By eliminating the bacteria streptococcus mutans, you are killing the infection, therefore preventing most cavities. After the vaccine is applied, your body would build immunity specific to the streptococcus mutans bacteria. Over some time, it would develop white blood cells that attack the foreign object in the vaccine.
While the vaccine may not eliminate all cavities, it would prevent the majority of them. There are many reasons people get cavities, but the main reason is the bacteria streptococcus mutans. A healthy person would have a greater chance of never getting a cavity if they get this vaccine. So a future without cavities may well be coming.
The information in the article is not intended to substitute for the medical expertise and advice of your healthcare provider. We encourage you to discuss any decisions about treatment or care with an appropriate healthcare provider.
