Ortek Therapeutics and Stony Brook University announced recently new data demonstrating the effects of a new chewable mint in preventing cavities in children. Called BasicMints, the mint contains CaviStat, an innovative, fluoride-free, cavity-fighting complex. The data shows the children who were administered BasicMints had 62% fewer cavities in their molars after one year, compared to children in the placebo group.
CaviStat is designed to mimic the profound cavity-fighting benefits of saliva. It contains the amino acid arginine, which when metabolized by certain plaque bacteria, results in elevation of dental plaque pH by alkali generation. It also contains bicarbonate, an important buffer in saliva, and calcium carbonate, which provides a source of calcium to prevent tooth solubilization and enhance tooth remineralization.
This was a 1-year, 200-patient, double-blind, placebo-controlled study which demonstrates that sugarless mints containing the CaviStat technology were able to inhibit both the onset and progression of cavities in 10- and 11-year-old children in Venezuela. It showed that after 12 months, children (N = 96) who took 2 BasicMints twice a day had 61.7% fewer cavities as compared to the placebo group (N = 99) (P < .001) in all molars.
(Source: Journal of Clinical Dentistry. March, 2008)
