2008 Woodie Awards
Bacteria is everywhere, especially in your own mouth
Ceren Akinci
Issue date: 2/23/06 Section: Features
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These tiny, single cells can be found in water, soil, animals, plants and inside the human body. In fact according to microbe.org, a website dedicated to the study of microbes such as bacteria, the human body consists of over trillions of microbes, which include your mouth.
"We realize in our office that the mouth is one of the most common places where bacteria is the most prominent. We have to be cautious in making sure that the dentist's tools are properly sterilized before and after the exam on each patient," said Meghan Boulet, an assistant at a dentist office in Ansonia.
"We clean the office with Lysol 2, a hospital disinfectant that is strong enough to kill the HIV virus, and we always wear latex gloves and dispose of them immediately after seeing a patient in order to avoid contaminating the office," said Boulet.
Lysol 2 might be effective in cleaning surfaces, but what kills the bacteria living inside the mouth?
The University of Illinois at Chicago's Dr. Christine Wu, professor of periodontics and associate dean for research at the UIC College of Dentistry, along with medical researchers, discovered that cinnamon gum is actually antibacterial, aiding in the destruction of bacteria, which causes bad breath in your mouth.
The plant oil cinnamic aldehyde, which can be found in cinnamon gum, may be the ingredient acting as an antibacterial agent.
"In laboratory tests, some of these oils also prevented the growth of three species of oral bacteria associated with bad breath and the production of volatile compounds that cause the unpleasant smell," Wu said in a press release, according to the Daily Times.
The outcome of Wu and her colleague's research was disclosed at the International Association for Dental Research in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Medical News Today reports that the study conducted by Wu proved chewing gum that contains cinnamic aldehyde killed 50 percent or more of the bacteria that is found in the mouth. The cinnamon gum was also effective in getting rid of the anaerobic microbe that is found only at the back of the tongue.
The mouth bacteria contributes to the production of sulfur in the mouth, which causes bad breath. By getting rid of most of this bacterium, cinnamon gum ultimately improves breath more than any other flavored gum.
"Our study shows that chewing gum can be a functional food, having a significant impact on oral hygiene over the short term, if it contains antimicrobial agents such as cinnamic aldehyde or other natural active compounds," Wu said.
"The product doesn't just mask foul mouth odor; it eliminates the bacteria that cause it, at least temporarily."
Lysol 2 works against the bacteria living in your dentist's office. For the microbes inside your mouth, however, studies have proven that cinnamon flavored gum is the most effective against bacteria that cause bad breath.