Published Tuesday, 04 December, 2007 at 12:39 PM
Minister for Tourism, Regional Development and Industry
The Honourable Desley Boyle
Gold Coast school kids trial a treatment to stop tooth rot
Gold Coast kids are helping a Smart State researcher to evaluate a new way of managing the most common early childhood disease – tooth decay.
Regional Development and Industry Minister Desley Boyle and Member for Southport Peter Lawlor today visited Musgrave Hill State School in Southport where students are trialling a new mouth rinse that is hoped will stop young teeth from decaying.
"Unfortunately many dental problems are only picked up when someone goes to the dentist – after harmful bacteria has already started growing and fillings or surgery are required,” Ms Boyle said.
“This is a new program which aims to identify children at risk of developing tooth decay before any permanent damage is done.
“The child’s parents fill out a questionnaire and a swab is taken from the child’s mouth to measure bacterial activity.
“A unique mouth rinse formulation will help knock out the decay-causing bacteria and to stop it recurring in the future.
"This is thought to be one of the most comprehensive child tooth decay management approaches developed and it has the potential to be universally adopted by school dental clinics if it's a success,” Ms Boyle said
Mr Lawlor commended Musgrave Hill State School for being involved in the trial.
“I am really pleased that students at Musgrave Hill are the first to take part in this important trial,” Mr Lawlor said.
“It’s a real credit to the school, the students and their parents for taking their dental health so seriously.”
The 150 students so far enrolled in Queensland dentist Dr Kerrod Hallett’s clinical trial have received the antibacterial mouth rinse daily for a month.
Dr Hallett, who is from the children’s oral health service at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, plans to treat and test up to 250 five to nine-year-old kids every four months during the three-year study.
He said the trial participants swished and swilled a capful of the treatment rinse for 30 seconds each day at their school dental clinic. Half receive a placebo similar to fluoride mouth rinses currently on the market.
“The treatment rinse can be likened to a weed killer for unhealthy lawns: it zeroes in and reduces the number of decay-causing bacteria,” Dr Hallett said.
The mouth rinse comprises several antimicrobial ingredients, including fluoride, which have been used individually in other products but have been uniquely combined for this treatment.
The novel formula works by increasing the pH of saliva and Dr Hallett is now working with US researchers about adding an enzyme called urease to the current rinse.
"It's been found that children with chronic diseases such as renal failure tend to have high alkaline and urease levels in their saliva. It's thought that this may be related to lower rates of tooth decay in these children," he said.
Once students’ bacterial activity has been controlled, the children will receive a maintenance rinse for the remaining years of the program.
Ms Boyle said childhood tooth decay was a serious problem.
“It’s estimated around 2000 pre-schoolers in Queensland each year need a general anaesthetic before the age of four to remove decayed baby teeth. And more than half of children have significant decay by the time they start school,” she said.
“But around 90 per cent of all dental disease is preventable.”
Dr Kerrod Hallett received a $300,000 three-year Queensland Clinical Research Fellowship from the State Government in July to conduct the trial.
Dr Hallett said he was also enrolling students for a further clinical trial at Vincent State School in Townsville.
“We’re assessing decay risk factors such as medical history, infant diet and lifestyle, tooth brushing habits as well as family background,” he said.
“A swab and culture sample of the child’s mouth and teeth is taken, and those Townsville students with high bacteria activity and counts will start receiving the mouth rinse next year.”
Ms Boyle said a preventative tooth decay treatment would reduce costs for parents and mean children would have fewer trips to the dentist.
Ends
Media contact:
Minister Boyle: 3224 2007
Dr Kerrod Hallett: 3636 1030, Kerrod_Hallett@health.qld.gov.au
4 December 2007
Regional Development and Industry Minister Desley Boyle and Member for Southport Peter Lawlor today visited Musgrave Hill State School in Southport where students are trialling a new mouth rinse that is hoped will stop young teeth from decaying.
"Unfortunately many dental problems are only picked up when someone goes to the dentist – after harmful bacteria has already started growing and fillings or surgery are required,” Ms Boyle said.
“This is a new program which aims to identify children at risk of developing tooth decay before any permanent damage is done.
“The child’s parents fill out a questionnaire and a swab is taken from the child’s mouth to measure bacterial activity.
“A unique mouth rinse formulation will help knock out the decay-causing bacteria and to stop it recurring in the future.
"This is thought to be one of the most comprehensive child tooth decay management approaches developed and it has the potential to be universally adopted by school dental clinics if it's a success,” Ms Boyle said
Mr Lawlor commended Musgrave Hill State School for being involved in the trial.
“I am really pleased that students at Musgrave Hill are the first to take part in this important trial,” Mr Lawlor said.
“It’s a real credit to the school, the students and their parents for taking their dental health so seriously.”
The 150 students so far enrolled in Queensland dentist Dr Kerrod Hallett’s clinical trial have received the antibacterial mouth rinse daily for a month.
Dr Hallett, who is from the children’s oral health service at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, plans to treat and test up to 250 five to nine-year-old kids every four months during the three-year study.
He said the trial participants swished and swilled a capful of the treatment rinse for 30 seconds each day at their school dental clinic. Half receive a placebo similar to fluoride mouth rinses currently on the market.
“The treatment rinse can be likened to a weed killer for unhealthy lawns: it zeroes in and reduces the number of decay-causing bacteria,” Dr Hallett said.
The mouth rinse comprises several antimicrobial ingredients, including fluoride, which have been used individually in other products but have been uniquely combined for this treatment.
The novel formula works by increasing the pH of saliva and Dr Hallett is now working with US researchers about adding an enzyme called urease to the current rinse.
"It's been found that children with chronic diseases such as renal failure tend to have high alkaline and urease levels in their saliva. It's thought that this may be related to lower rates of tooth decay in these children," he said.
Once students’ bacterial activity has been controlled, the children will receive a maintenance rinse for the remaining years of the program.
Ms Boyle said childhood tooth decay was a serious problem.
“It’s estimated around 2000 pre-schoolers in Queensland each year need a general anaesthetic before the age of four to remove decayed baby teeth. And more than half of children have significant decay by the time they start school,” she said.
“But around 90 per cent of all dental disease is preventable.”
Dr Kerrod Hallett received a $300,000 three-year Queensland Clinical Research Fellowship from the State Government in July to conduct the trial.
Dr Hallett said he was also enrolling students for a further clinical trial at Vincent State School in Townsville.
“We’re assessing decay risk factors such as medical history, infant diet and lifestyle, tooth brushing habits as well as family background,” he said.
“A swab and culture sample of the child’s mouth and teeth is taken, and those Townsville students with high bacteria activity and counts will start receiving the mouth rinse next year.”
Ms Boyle said a preventative tooth decay treatment would reduce costs for parents and mean children would have fewer trips to the dentist.
Ends
Media contact:
Minister Boyle: 3224 2007
Dr Kerrod Hallett: 3636 1030, Kerrod_Hallett@health.qld.gov.au
4 December 2007