Tooth decay is caused by dental caries, or holes in the enamel coating of the teeth. These holes are caused by the dissolution of the tooth enamel by acid produced from bacteria. As the holes enlarge the structure of the teeth is eroded and dental caries form. Fluoride is added to toothpaste because it is an antimicrobial agent and kills the bacteria in the mouth. This gives the teeth chance to remineralise and this prevents dental caries. Any chemical that kills bacteria, but which doesn’t damage teeth will have similar biological effects, and some of these are often added to toothpaste. Green tea extracts are antimicrobial agents, probably because of the catechin flavonoids they contain. Studies have investigated the effects of green tea catechin of tooth health and found that the catechins are able to inhibit the formation of plaque on teeth, and that the pH of the mouth increased with catechin mouth rinse. Therefore green tea catechins may improve tooth health by limiting the capacity of bacteria to form plaque and acid.
Catechin from green tea may be effective at killing mutans streptococci, and this may have tooth protective effects.
Eat Well, Stay Healthy, protect Yourself
RdB
