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Good FoodFriends

What is the roll of diet on tooth decay.
The modern diet contains a significant amount of fermentable carbohydrate which plaque bacteria change to acid when part of the food trapped between teeth and inside grooves on chewing surfaces while chewing every meal or snack causing almost all cavities where the toothbrush cannot reach.

Even after 30 years of fluoride, fissure sealants and avoiding sweets etc.; all important preventive measures promoted by dentists, government and health authorities, tooth decay is still the most common and second most expensive community disease with 1.47 decayed, missing and filled teeth (dmft) in Victorian 5 to 6 year old children. Consumer spending on oral hygiene was $408.5 million in 2004, but still food is left on teeth after every meal or snack.

However few cavities occur at gum margins because saliva has good access to dilute sugars, neutralise acid and repair demineralised tooth. Like the brush etc, saliva does not have good access between teeth and inside grooves where almost all cavities occur.

Are fissure sealants giving a false state of dmft or DMFT surveys.
Fillings and fissure sealant treatment prevent food being trapped to greatly reduce decay but hide the true incidence of decayed teeth.

Chewing some foods before eating like cheese that is hard to remove or be displaced by other foods can act as a sealant and prevent other foods being trapped and changed to acid while eating. Sealant foods also help displace other foods after eating to reduce or prevent acid attack.

Chewing fibre like celery after eating helps saliva remove trapped food, neutralise acid and repair demineralised tooth even from inside pits and fissures where the brush etc cannot reach.

Supertooth and the Good Food Friends is an online dental health promotion for schools and the community to help understand the roll of food in dental and general health and tooth care products and skills that prevent and remove trapped food and control plaque.

The object of Supertooth is involve teachers, parents, schools, innovators, dental health professionals, dietitians, governments, fresh food people like the celery growers association, chemists and supermarkets as well as fast food outlets, confectioners, universities etc. to help consumers, particularly children develop the knowledge and the skills to use tools that conveniently and effectively control plaque and remove trapped food from teeth after eating and help saliva dilute trapped sugar, neutralise acid and repair demineralised tooth. Also seal teeth before eating to prevent food from being trapped and changed to acid while eating.