Binnenkort tandpasta met cacao tegen tandbederf.*
Uit een klein Amerikaans onderzoek blijkt dat stoffen in cacao een natuurlijk en effectief middel zijn om fluoride in tandpasta te vervangen. Bij dieren blijkt een extract van cacao nog effectiever dan fluoride in de bestrijding van gaatjes. Jammer genoeg zal het nog een paar jaar duren voordat cacao fluoride kan vervangen omdat eerst nog aangetoond moet worden dat de nieuwe tandpasta veilig is voor mensen.
Cocoa
extract may be an effective natural alternative to fluoride in toothpaste
For
a healthy smile brush between meals, floss regularly and eat plenty of
chocolate.
According
to Tulane University doctoral candidate Arman Sadeghpour, an extract of cocoa
powder that occurs naturally in chocolates, teas, and other products might be an
effective natural alternative to fluoride in toothpaste. In fact, his research
revealed that the cocoa extract was even more effective than fluoride in
fighting cavities.
The
extract, a white crystalline powder whose chemical makeup is similar to
caffeine, helps harden teeth enamel, making users less susceptible to tooth
decay. The cocoa extract could offer the first major innovation to commercial
toothpaste since manufacturers began adding fluoride to toothpaste in 1914.
The extract has been proven effective in the animal model, but it will probably
be another two to four years before the product is approved for human use and
available for sale, Sadeghpour says. But he has already created a prototype of
peppermint flavored toothpaste with the cavity-fighting cocoa extract added, and
his doctoral thesis research compared the extract side by side to fluoride on
the enamel surface of human teeth.
Sadeghpour's
research group included scientists from Tulane, the University of New Orleans,
and Louisiana State University's School of Dentistry.
Sadeghpour will earn his PhD in bioinformatics and a master's in computer
science from Tulane University.
(Juni 2007)