Can Papaya and Licorice Prevent Cavities?

Natural Alternatives for Cavity Control

Food choices in the ’70s and ’80s were much more limited than today. Energy drinks of the prior century were tea and coffee that most people drank unsweetened. Soda came in 12 oz cans, at most. The Big Gulp was introduced in 1976. Mcdonald’s unveiled the “ Super Size” menu option in 1992. The trend towards larger and sweeter snacks continues to affect oral health negatively.

The choices we make for food and drinks play a significant role in the health of our teeth and mouth. Frequent snacking prolongs the exposure of teeth to acid produced by bacteria, well-fed with highly refined carbohydrate snacks and sugary drinks. The carbonic acid in carbonated drinks adds to the acidic environment. Caffeine, which is present in many drinks and ever-increasing amounts, negatively affects the quantity of saliva and dries out the mouth.

Dairy

What are the alternatives? Studies have identified snacks and drinks that can have an acid-reducing effect and even anti-cavity properties. A 2013 study in the Journal of General Dentistry illustrated this point with dairy products. 68 kids ranging in ages from 12 to 15 were given a sugary snack and then either cheese, milk, sugar-free yogurt or paraffin. The cheese brought the pH levels back up to normal the quickest after the 30 minutes that followed. The rise in pH stopped the attack of acid. Cheese also promoted saliva flow which helped to clear the acid and buffer it in the mouth and helped to harden the enamel. Milk and yogurt showed a little increase in pH levels, but not like cheese.

Another study from the University of Chicago in 2013 studied the effect of whole milk, apple juice, and tap water on the pH of the mouth after eating Froot Loops. 24 hours later, only participants who had milk with their sugar cereal showed significantly increased pH in their dental plaque.

Apples Vs Apple juice?

Even how we consume food can affect cavity production. Apple juice is cavity promoting as it has natural fruit sugar. The same fruit sugar exposure when eating an apple does not. An apple has a high water content, which dilutes the sugar. The action of chewing the hard, sweet apple promotes saliva flow which buffers and dilutes the sugar and reduces the attack on the teeth.

Herbal Cavity Control

What does current research tell us about natural cavity control? Unsweetened tea, green and black, shows reduced oral pathologies at the DNA level. The phenols in tea are cavity preventative and even inhibit the bacteria that cause cavities. As an after-dessert drink, unsweetened green or black tea is a great way to reduce bacteria and increase the pH in the mouth.

What about black coffee? Coffee has a natural acidity. With the additive caffeine decreasing saliva flow, the anticavity effect isn’t there. Enamel can't remineralize from a sugary acid attack in a dry environment.

Licorice root has substantial antimicrobial activity against Strep Mutans, the cavity-causing bacteria in the mouth. In the lollipop form, it can greatly reduce childhood cavities by exposing the oral environment to licoricidin and licorisoflavan A in licorice long enough to have antibacterial action and penetrate the bacterial biofilm. Swish and swallow mouthwash does not have a long enough exposure to affect. Check with your health care provider before taking licorice root because it can have undesirable effects and interactions with prescription drugs.

The proanthocyanidins in grape seed oil are being studied for their potent antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant benefits in the mouth and body. It has been shown that the collagen fibers exposed by cavities in the tooth root are strengthened by increasing the crosslinks of collagen strands. The research is ongoing and there are no commercially available products yet.

Enamelon, a toothpaste by 3M, has amorphous calcium phosphate, a milk-based product that helps to calcify and strengthen teeth. It also contains a mouth moisturizing plant ingredient, Spilanthes extract, that increases saliva flow.

Natural Cavity in the Future

Papaya derived enzymes have been shown to remove Strep Mutans, the cavity-causing bacteria in the mouth on dentin in the lab environment. In a lab-created cavity, the papaya protease enzyme killed the cavity bacteria.

Natural remedies for dry mouth caused by medications, age or diseases such as Sjogren’s can help those who suffer. One is aloe vera gel juice. Another is ginger. Both show mouth moisturizing effects that can help fight dry mouth and cavities and help those who wear dentures.

Research into natural remedies to fight disease and stop or reverse decay is exciting. For drill phobic and people generally afraid of the dentist, the knowledge that there is more in the dentist’s toolbox besides a drill is good news. To embrace natural adjuncts to the current options in healthcare is each person’s individual choice. The research that is bringing gentler forms of prevention and treatment provides the consumer with more information to make a more informed decision.

Journal Reference:

Abhinav Tadikonda,1 Kalyana-Chakravarthy Pentapati, corresponding author, 2 Arun-Sreenivas Urala,3 and Shashidhar Acharya4Anti-plaque and anti-gingivitis effect of Papain, Bromelain, Miswak and Neem containing dentifrice: A randomized controlled trial. J Clin Exp Dent. 2017 May; 9(5): e649–e653

American Society For Microbiology. "Tea Fights Cavities, Reduces Plaque." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 24 May 2001

Lamprini Karygianni,1,* Ali Al-Ahmad,1 Aikaterini Argyropoulou,2 Elmar Hellwig,1 Annette C. Anderson,1 and Alexios L. Skaltsounis2. Natural Antimicrobials and Oral Microorganisms: A Systematic Review on Herbal Interventions for the Eradication of Multispecies Oral Biofilms. Front Microbiol. 2015; 6: 1529

Ravishankar Lingesha Telgi, Vipul Yadav, Chaitra Ravishankar Telgi, Naveen Boppana. In vivo dental plaque pH after consumption of dairy products. General Dentistry, 2013 May;61(3):56-59

Stefan Gafner, Chantal Bergeron, Jacquelyn R. Villinski, Markus Godejohann, Pavel Kessler, John H. Cardellina, Daneel Ferreira, Karine Feghali, Daniel Grenier. Isoflavonoids and Coumarins fromGlycyrrhiza uralensis: Antibacterial Activity against Oral Pathogens and Conversion of Isoflavans into Isoflavan-Quinones during Purification. Journal of Natural Products, 2011; 74 (12): 2514

University of Illinois at Chicago. "A glass of milk after eating sugary cereals may prevent cavities." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 31 July 2013

Blog entries are meant to entertain and are not to provide diagnosis or treatment suggestions. Consult with your healthcare provider before initiating any changes in your healthcare.