LONDON Munching chocolate could one day fend off tooth cavities and thwart dental decay, according to researchers in Japan.
They found that parts of the cocoa bean, the main ingredient of chocolate, fights mouth bacteria, New Scientist magazine reported.
Tooth cavities are caused when bacteria in plaque convert sugar to acids that nibble away at the tooth's surface.
Takashi Ooshima and his colleagues at Osaka University in Japan found that cocoa bean husk (CBH) the outer part of the bean, which usually goes to waste in chocolate production is a potent source of antibacterial agents.
"It may be possible to use CBH extract in a mouthwash or supplement it to toothpaste," Ooshima told the magazine.
He suggested that the bean husk could be put back into chocolate to make it better for teeth.
The Japanese researchers found that rats which had CBS added to their water had healthier teeth. They now plan to test their findings on human teeth.
David Beighton at the Guy's, King's and St. Thomas' Dental Institute in London thinks that the active substances found in cocoa bean husks are also found in other plants, like chewing sticks used in Africa.
"They certainly have effects," he told new scientist.
"But good oral hygiene, rather than eating lots of chocolate, is the way to good healthy teeth." (Reuter)