A molecule called ferumoxytol is a promising tool against tooth decay.

Ferumoxytol is currently a promising treatment for iron deficiency or anemia. It is made of a nanoparticle with an iron core and a sugar coating. When injected, it releases the iron and raises the level of iron in the blood. 

It is a product of nanotechnology, the science, engineering and technology of very, very small materials used in materials science, engineering, chemistry, biology and physics.

Nano materials are so small that one page of the Watchmen Daily Journal you are now holding is about 100,000 nanometers thick. A nanometer is a billionth of a meter. There are 25.4 million nanometers in an inch.

Very, very small that it is, ferumoxytol has a strange behavior. When it crosses into a biological environment, it causes a reaction usually observed in proteins called enzymes. The chemical reactions caused by ferumoxytol produces free radicals that kill bacteria.

Soon enough scientists realized that ferumoxytol may get also kill plaque-causing   bacteria. They went on to theorize that the molecule may also prevent erosion in the tooth enamel that leads to the formation of holes or cavities eve n as it protect the natural protective the enamel coating.

Laboratory testing showed that the molecule reduced by half the damage caused to the teeth of baby rats fed with a high sugar diet. Moderate and severe damage to the teeth was even eliminated so much so that tooth decay was prevented.

According to Huffington Post Canada, “ferumoxytol passed all the tests with flying colors.”

The next step would be clinical trials among humans, and it would be years more before dentists start prescribing ferumoxytol treatment.

Still, it is very good news in a country where nearly one in four children and more than half of teenagers have tooth decay. Overall, at least one in three Canadians need dental treatment.

According to Jason Tetro, Huffington Post Canada’s Microbiology, Health & Hygiene Expert, it is a case of a finding a pleasant surprise. He cites xylitol which started as a sugar substitute before it was recognized by Health Canada as a way to prevent dental cavities.

The bacterium Streptococcus salivarius was considered just another one of very many bacteria in the mouth when it was discovered in1937. In the 1990s, it was found to be effective against bacteria that caused tooth decay and cavities. Now, many oral health care products based on the bacterium are recognized by Health Canada./WDJ