3,3′-Diindolylmethane (DIM) decreased the Streptococcus mutans biofilm, a leading contributor to plaque and cavities, by 90%.

A significant portion of the global population experiences persistent issues with dental plaque and cavities or will face them at some time. While toothpaste, mouthwash, and routine dental visits help in prevention, there’s always room for improvement.

Researchers from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, in collaboration with teams from Sichuan University and the National University of Singapore, have identified that 3,3′-Diindolylmethane (DIM) – a naturally occurring molecule also referred to as bisindole – can reduce biofilms responsible for plaque and cavities by a remarkable 90%.

The molecule is also found to have anti-carcinogenic properties.

Their findings were recently published in the journal Antibiotics.

  • EthicalDogMeat@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Incredible. Given how expensive dental treatment is in a lot of places, this could be revolutionary for people who can’t afford regular checkups and/or treatment plans. It’s not going to be a replacement but it can certainly mitigate a lot of damage.

    • Dudewitbow@lemmy.ml
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      1 year ago

      I mean if the research a few months ago in japan that detailed the ability to introduce a drug to allow teeth growth beyond the second pair has good results, things are getting places.

      • Kanzar@sh.itjust.works
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        1 year ago

        From my understanding , it wasn’t past the second pair, it was to reactivate deactivated teeth.

        As in, they artificially induced a way to stop a tooth forming (which can occur naturally in humans), and then reactivated it. Useful for folks who suffer from agenesis in the first place.

    • Random_Character_A@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Fuck’m. I’m pretty sure most of my “small cavities” over the years were nothing, especially in the 80s. Medieval butchery.

      • gummybootpiloot@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        As grandpa said “don’t go to the dentist, they want you to keep your teeth as long as possible so they can keep billing you”

  • 1337@lemm.ee
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    1 year ago

    Well let’s hope the mass adoption of this ingredient in everyone’s toothpaste doesn’t make the gray water kill all the birds or frogs or something. Ecosystems are weird. Diclofenac fucks all the vultures and I found out recently.

  • Burn_The_Right@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Conservatives are already furious about this. I mean, it’s an obvious trick to install 5G tracking chips to allow the globalists to track everyone for the new world order where all men will be forced to pee sitting down in their mandatory pink bathrooms.

    • brewbellyblueberry@sopuli.xyz
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      1 year ago

      Americans reading anything: “How do I find a way to shove our idiotic polarized, tribal politics into this?”.

      Seriously. It’s an article about dental health…

      • Burn_The_Right@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        Our conservatives are the number one threat to humanity world-wide. You should care about this because it will eventually affect you directly.

        • brewbellyblueberry@sopuli.xyz
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          1 year ago

          I repeat. It’s an article about dental health. You can pretend your comment was anything other than you circlejerking the same tired bullshit without saying a single fucking thing, just to stroke your ego and feel like you’re any better than the people you make fun of all you want. It doesn’t change a thing. You repeating some hyperlative bullshit doesn’t either. It just reveals who you are.

          Very well aware of the threat of American idiots, mainly due to the fact that because people exactly like you on the other side of the spectrum keep shoving the same bullshit down everyone’s throats everywhere they go, it spreads and now, thanks to exactly the same behavior you’re so proud of here, we have idiots all over the world repeating the same idiocy down to a tee.

          Just because people don’t want your dick shoved down their throats 24/7 everywhere they go doesn’t mean they don’t care.

          “Conservatives are like: “Herppp derppp I’m a conservative there’s microchips in ma teef!” Hahaha! Right guys?!” isn’t exactly the kind of eloquent and well thought argument you think it is. Behaviour like that contributes to the problem, it doesn’t solve anything. You’re a part of the problem. Be better.

      • Blue@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        They don’t admit it but they love their culture wars and shit politics.

  • pelya@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Alcohol-based mouth sanitizer will kill like 99.9% of bacteria in your mouth, the issue is that you won’t keep it in your mouth 24 hours a day.

    Is this new chemical supposed to be added to food, or maybe to sugar?

    • TheBananaKing@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      The point isn’t that it kills bacteria, it’s that it breaks down the biofilm.

      The biofilm is basically habitat - it’s a structure they can cling to and establish a foothold.

      Mouths are never going to be a sterile environment even a minute after nuking with alcohol; populations will re-establish in no time.

      The point here is to deny them a place to stay.

    • Dulce Maria@lemmy.one
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      1 year ago

      Sounds like this molecule is already found in broccoli, kale, Brussels sprouts, and cabbage.