The root cause of most dental issues , including dental carries is a simple bacteria. We've been dealing with bacteria , extremely well, since the first vaccine. And for 30 years , there has been research for a vaccine. So where is it ?
Well, one company , oragenics was ready for clinical trials. But it seem[1] that, due to a very restrictive enrollment criteria they couldn't enrol people to their clinical trial.Due to that and to further uncertainity due to fda , they stopped the clinical trial waiting for "partnering opportunities".
Such a shame. I wonder how and what could restart that project ?
Dental caries aren't caused by a single species of bacteria, but by multiple species working together. They form an extracellular matrix called a 'biofilm' that makes them resistant to immune system attack [1].
The link you cite is not a vaccine, but a supposed 'replacement' bacteria that outcompetes the native bacteria [2]. This can definitely work, but I'm doubtful it will be universally effective, for the same reasons that probiotics don't always work: every person has different existing populations of bacteria, and not every invading species will be successful at colonizing or dominating that environment.
> Dental caries aren't caused by a single species of bacteria, but by multiple species working together.
Yeah, but not many. Next to the ~half-dozen-hundreds-or-so of species populating our oral cavity without issue (indeed contributing just fine), we know of just ~under-half-a-dozen-or-so potentially dangerous ones. The very ones who create the very few actually damaging acids (among the many kinds in the world that our initially-generally-robust dentition handles just-fine) when fermenting carbohydrate leftovers. Brushing regularly disrupts or may even destroy their biofilm, Xylitol accomplishes/contributes the same FWIW, or absent dietary carbohydrate (read, ancestral ice-age hunters / traditional inuit / Maasai warriors etc) the problematic sort doesn't even ever form.
Well, one company , oragenics was ready for clinical trials. But it seem[1] that, due to a very restrictive enrollment criteria they couldn't enrol people to their clinical trial.Due to that and to further uncertainity due to fda , they stopped the clinical trial waiting for "partnering opportunities".
Such a shame. I wonder how and what could restart that project ?
[1]hsprod.investis.com/site/irwizard/orni/ir.jsp?page=sec_item_new&ipage=8899679&DSEQ=1&SEQ=19&SQDESC=SECTION_PAGE&exp=&subsid=41