In China and Japan, drinking tea after a meal is offered at all. This custom is believed to be able to maintain oral health. Benefits from traditional methods is reiterated by modern research that states that the tea is very friendly with his teeth. Modern research has successfully proved that tea can inhibit the growth of Streptococcus mutans and other bacteria associated with plaque. Dental experts in China as reported in the Chinese Journal of Stomatology recently explained that the growth of Streptococcus mutans can be inhibited completely in just 5 minutes after administration of tea catechins even at quite low concentrations.
Not only in China, researchers from the Department of Clinical Pathology, Nihon University School of Dentistry in Japan has been testing the reliability of cavity prevention of tea extracts. They breed Streptococcus mutans on saliva-coated plate is assumed as false teeth. Their test results showed that tea catechins can prevent the bacteria that will attack the false teeth and disrupt the performance of bacterial enzymes used to digest the sugar. Of the five species tested catechins, EGCG is the most powerful catechin against that cause cavities. After successful simulation of the dentures, the researchers then tried to research results in mice. The experts infecting Streptococcus mutans in rats and provide a diet that stimulates the occurrence of cavities. Research results confirm that the case of very small cavities development in mice fed a supplement catechins. To smooth the mind rotting, Streptococcus mutans secretes enzymes. This enzyme is invited bacteria to form plaque wider area on the tooth surface, which then plays a role in the formation of cavities. Extracts of tea catechins may reduce the risk of tooth decay by holding the enzyme activity as one of the originators glukotransferase cavities. When catechin was added to drinking water, very few cavities and plaque that is found in experimental animals.
Researchers from the Department of Oral Microbiology, Osaka University in Japan said that the development of cavities to be very little because catechins have arrested glukotransferase activity. The results of this research to clarify how the mechanism of the inhibitory activity of the risk of tooth decay by tea catechins. Tea catechins are also good at reducing the risk of tooth decay by increasing the resistance against the bacteria that cause tooth cavities. Researchers from the Department of Preventive Dentistry, Kyushu University in Japan believes that the tea is used with other sources of fluoride can result in a surface layer of the tooth more resistant to acids produced bacteria than tooth surfaces that were given fluoride alone.
