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Jul 24, 2002 3:07 pm US/Eastern
Imagine never getting another cavity...

WBZ’'s Dr. Mallika Marshall shows us how local researchers have developed a vaccine they believe will help prevent cavities.

Tooth decay plagues half of the world’s population, affecting a whopping six -billion- people!

Scientists now believe that cavities are caused by an enzyme that's passed through the saliva.

Researchers at the Forsyth Institute in Boston are in the process of developing a vaccine that would prevent that bacteria from forming into cavities.

Dr. Dan Smith - Forsyth insitute
“The vaccine is targeted to an enzyme that the bacteria that causes tooth decay produces. And the idea is that once it produces an antibody in the saliva, that antibody inactivates that enzyme, therefore the bacteria cannot accumulate in the plaque and cause tooth decay.”

Experts say the vaccine would be administered through a nasal spray to children one to two years old.. Before the bacteria which causes cavities, has a chance to develop in their teeth.

Researchers are now testing the vaccine on animals and have conducted limited clinical trials on college students that showed that it was effective and safe.

Dr. Martin Taubman - Forsyth Institute
“We tested it on some 82 individuals and all, we checked their blood tests with no side effects of this enzyme, it was perfectly safe.”

Researchers are now looking for financing to launch the next phase of human human trials.

They say if this vaccine works.. It could potentially save billions of dollars every year in dental care costs.

“Dental caries and treatment of dental disease in the u-s in the year 2000 cost 50 billion dollars.. It is about 5 percent of the total health care costs.. So the administration of a health care vaccine would certainly be a cost effective measure.”

Experts say if proven successful, the vaccine could be especially useful in treating low-income areas where access to dental care is often limited.