Bacterium Toothbrush

              How clean would you consider your mouth to be? Most people who practice good oral hygiene by brushing, flossing and using mouth wash would never think that their mouths could be a home to over 700 different kinds of bacterial species. Streptococcus mutans is the main cavity-causing bacterium. S. mutans adheres themselves to the surface of the enamel and produce a biofilm (also known as plaque). They convert the sugars on the enamel and convert it into lactic acid that eats away at the tooth and causes cavities. Scientists discovered in 2009 that Streptococcus salivarius, a bacterium found on the tongue and other parts in the mouth lessens the buildup of biofilms caused by S. mutans. The article explained that researchers wanted to know what substance in S. salivarius allows it deter the growth of biotfilms. Hidenobu Senpuku and his fellow colleagues from the National Institute of Infectious Diseases found that S. salivarius produced Fru A, an enzyme that break down complex sugars. The author lets you know that just because S. salivarius helps fight against S. mutans biofilms, doesn’t mean that you can consume all the sugar you want. I liked that the author ended the article by saying that the findings can possibly bring the development of better toothpastes. It sounds like it would be quite a challenge because how will get the bacteria to stay alive in the packaging or even after the toothpaste has been opened. The author gave many interesting facts and made it easily understandable.

http://news.sciencemag.org/2011/04/bacterium-acts-toothbrush

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