Arginine-Enriched Foods Blast Dental Plaque, Study

One amino acid, called arginine, which is part of most dental products for tooth sensitivity, could help to prevent dental plaque, based on researchers' study at the University of Michigan and Newcastle University, according to medindia.

Alexander Rickard, assistant professor of epidemiology at the U-M School of Public Health, with his colleagues, found in the lab that L-arginine can be identified in red meat, poultry, fish and dairy products. It is already part of dental products that help teeth to overcome problems, according to umich.

Currently, almost 24 percent of US adults have dental caries, while 39 percent have "moderate-to-severe periodontitis". It goes up to 64 percent for people aged 65 or more.

"This is important as bacteria like to aggregate on surfaces to form biofilms. Dental plaque is a biofilm that contribute to the billions of dollars of dental treatments and office visits every year in the United States. Biofilms account for more than 50 percent of all hospital infections," said one of the researchers Alexander Rickard, assistant professor at the University of Michigan.

Much of dental plaque is controlled by antimicrobial agents such as chlorhexidine, whose antimicrobial agents are chemicals that fight plaque bacteria, but also impact taste and leave stain marks on teeth.

The study seems to indicate that the the amino acid, arginine, which is found naturally, may replace the chemical substances that are being used at present to pre-empt dental plaques.

However, according to the researchers, more clinical trials are needed to verify the lab findings. Arginine can alter the manner in which cells are bound together, and "can trigger bacteria within biofilms to alter how they behave so that they no longer stick to surfaces," according to medindia.

The team used a model system started in 2013, mimicking the oral cavity. They grew together the numerous bacterial species in dental plaque with human saliva, according to business-standard.