Published Tuesday, 04 December, 2007 at 12:39 PM
Minister for Tourism, Regional Development and Industry
The Honourable Desley Boyle
Townsville school kids to trial a treatment to stop tooth rot
Kids from Townsville’s Vincent State School will be helping a researcher to evaluate a new way of managing the most common early childhood disease – tooth decay.
Regional Development and Industry Minister Desley Boyle said Brisbane-based paediatric dentist Dr Kerrod Hallett was working with the school and parents to identify children for a clinical trial it is hoped will stop young teeth from decaying.
Dr Hallett plans to enrol 250 five-to-nine-year-olds for his three-year study which is also being conducted on the Gold Coast.
"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
Dr Hallett said he was assessing students’ decay risk factors such as their medical history, infant diet and lifestyle, tooth brushing habits as well as family background.
“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,” Dr Hallett said.
Ms Boyle today visited Gold Coast’s Musgrave Hill State School where 150 students have been administered the mouth rinse daily for the past month.
Trial participants swish and swill a capful of the treatment for 30 seconds each day at their school dental clinic. Half receive a placebo similar to fluoride mouth rinses currently on the market.
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 changing the pH of saliva and Dr Hallett is now working with US researchers about adding an enzyme called urease to the 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.
Ms Boyle said childhood tooth decay was a serious problem.
“It’s estimated around 2,000 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.
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 said Brisbane-based paediatric dentist Dr Kerrod Hallett was working with the school and parents to identify children for a clinical trial it is hoped will stop young teeth from decaying.
Dr Hallett plans to enrol 250 five-to-nine-year-olds for his three-year study which is also being conducted on the Gold Coast.
"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
Dr Hallett said he was assessing students’ decay risk factors such as their medical history, infant diet and lifestyle, tooth brushing habits as well as family background.
“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,” Dr Hallett said.
Ms Boyle today visited Gold Coast’s Musgrave Hill State School where 150 students have been administered the mouth rinse daily for the past month.
Trial participants swish and swill a capful of the treatment for 30 seconds each day at their school dental clinic. Half receive a placebo similar to fluoride mouth rinses currently on the market.
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 changing the pH of saliva and Dr Hallett is now working with US researchers about adding an enzyme called urease to the 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.
Ms Boyle said childhood tooth decay was a serious problem.
“It’s estimated around 2,000 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.
Ends
Media contact:
Minister Boyle: 3224 2007
Dr Kerrod Hallett: 3636 1030, Kerrod_Hallett@health.qld.gov.au
4 December 2007