Acid demineralisation from carbohydrate in food that is left on teeth after every meal or snack is the cause of tooth decay, the most common and second most costly disease affecting over 11 million Australians each year involving someone in every family.

While most food is left trapped between teeth, over 80% of cavities occur inside pits and fissures in grooves on chewing surfaces accounting for roughly half the Dental Dealth Services budget that has doubled to over $6 billion since 2001.

No wonder recent health reports including "A healthy future for all Australians" recomend that governments finance improved Oral Health Education.

How co-incidental [excuse the term] Supertooth that I read your posting on this issue today [15 yr old off to the Dentist and experienced his first two fillings]. Brushes his teeth both morning and evening, does not consume lollies cakes or slices and consumes sufficient calcium. Worked out that the one glass of lemonade replaced recently with sugar free lemonade with his dinner may be the cause [despite evening brushing].

Yes, more education is required all the way through primary and high school and the twice yearly visits to the Dentist not relied upon or used as education or a reminder to both parents and children.

Great issue for discussion Supertooth.

Supertooth,

I take it that you are not a dentist, because if you were you would be emphasising regular cleaning with fluoride toothpaste and flossing to remove the plaque which is the cause of tooth decay. That and check-ups and cleaning by a dentist.

Do you really believe that people should stop eating fruit, for example, because it contains carbohydrates?

we are unique,

What did your dentist recommend?

As a side comment, one of our children, a boy, had a lot of decay in his first teeth whereas the others had none. The two differences between him and the others were:

- antibiotics - he was prone to ear infections (some boys are) which required frequent use of antibiotics. Not criticising the wonderful antibiotics that were necessary and no-one would seriously consider not using them, but some more dental caries might occur (no proof and it was probably coincidence); and

- orange juice and orange fruit - he loved citrus, but it is like battery acid on teeth. Even when consumed with a straw, the juice is a real no, no in my opinion. That is, eat not so often and make it the fruit not the juice. If they must have citrus juice buy the packs with a lot of water added. Apple and other fruits are better, but most apples, except varieties like Jonathan, Hi Early and Red Delicious are too tart for most children and put them off.

Giving a child those pure fruit juice popper packs is asking for trouble. Give water instead and prefer cooked and raw fruit.

Hope that helped.

IF on the fly, I like to have a quick rinse with water straight out after having a feed or a snack.

Then floss, then brush (gently and in the designated manner), then mouthwash.

(God's it is so dry in Perth that I have to downgrade to a softer brush as I acclimatise when coming out of the tropics to avoid gum injury - pick an older ozzie up here by their prune like shrivelled skin)

As for dentistry, it like medicine is an absolute need, not a luxury, and accordingly, in a true blue society, everyone needs to be able to have full access, as and when required.

This currently isn't happening. To give you an example of some of the parasites in the industry, my last "root planing" cost $AU700. An occasionally crucial procedure in my view to get the sub gum line pocket forming bacteria. In Indonesia, it costs less than $20, and is priced per 15min packet of time like other similar procedures.

Regulation of necessities - I am for a hybrid economic system. After all, in terms of simple maths, if you are going to regulate the wages of workers and want them to be able to save, even at a modest rate, then the necessities also need to be regulated.

Food, water, housing, dentistry, medical, legal

If not, then the continuing activity of the business sector will be to price product and service on how much they think people can afford as opposed to intrinsic/fundamental value, which collides with "the Australian Standard" producing the effect such that people have no money left over for growth, development, innovation etc

Any bonuses should go to those enterprising members who bring fresh capital streams into the country and a regulated local rate for everyone else. It is not a question of socialism or otherwise, but rather mathematical equilibrium.

Good Oral Hygiene I suspect is also important for those of us who indulge in oral sex. I'm sure I read a study which found that certain STD's have become more prevalent in this sub-group and in addition to not washing reasonably soon after, oral hygiene in oral sex is no doubt also a contributing factor.

Super Tooth for a Super *#%^

Cornflower

I am a dentist, and do emphasising regular cleaning with fluoride toothpaste and flossing to remove food and plaque before brushing to provide better access for fluoride to remineralise demineralised tooth.

Also to chew fibre like celery after eating to force saliva inside pits and fissures in chewing surfaces to neutralise acid and remineralise tooth where food left trapped after eating, even fruit.
That is why check-ups and cleaning by a dentist are so necessary.

No I don't believe that people should stop eating fruit, even though they contain carbohydrate.

Don't leave acid forming food on teeth especially after between meal snacks. www.supertoothndk.org is formulating better evidence based oral health promotion to reduce demineralisation and increase remineralisation that anyone can help to promote better oral health.

Supertooth

Thank you for the reply and it is now possible to see where you are coming from. Mind you, some would still switch off immediately because you come across as a potential spammer.

With the greatest respect could I suggest that you consider the recipient when communicating. That and remember the KISS principle.

Solution and specific benefit for the person come first, expressed simply as if you are talking to a person in the street.

As a test, use your original post as a conversation opener at a dinner party and see how many eyes glaze over. Then try the suggested approach.

Oral health promotion is stuffed if it is conducted by dentists it would seem and that bit of learning could save millions of wasted dollars.

Dentist joke (from the Fifties if the prices are any guide):
One day, a man walks into a dentist's office and asks how much it will cost to extract wisdom teeth. "Eighty dollars," the dentist says. "That's a ridiculous amount," the man says. "Isn't there a cheaper way?" "Well," the dentist says, "if you don't use an aesthetic, I can knock the price down to $60." Looking annoyed the man says, "That's still too expensive!" "Okay," says the dentist. "If I save on anaesthesia and simply rip the teeth out with a pair of pliers, I can knock the price down to $20." "Nope," moans the man, "it's still too much." "Well," says the dentist, scratching his head, "if I let one of my students do it, I suppose I can knock the price down to $10." "Marvellous," says the man, "book my wife for next Tuesday!"

Thanks for the lesson and the joke Cornflower but tooth decay is no laughing matter with 11 million Australians developing a new cavity every year even with fluoridation and decay is the most common global disease, yet easy to prevent.

That is why we need IMPROVED ORAL HEALTH PROMOTION that targets pits and fissures in chewing surfaces where 80% of cavities occur, brushing, fluoride toothpaste and antibacterial activity cannot reach.

Supertooth, a community service project has a glass model of a fissure in a tooth that shows how food is trapped under chewing pressure and brushing cannot reach but also shows that chewing pressure can deliver sealants that block food from being trapped and changed to acid demineralisation. Also fluoride toothpaste and other remineralising agents including antibacterial agents that can greatly improve individual control over the demineralisation, remineralisation process and greatly reduce tooth decay with Improved Oral Hygiene Promotion. www.supertootndk.org