The End of Tooth Decay Looms Large
Teeth are one of the first parts of our body to become seriously damaged as the years go by, thanks to bacterial agents, but that will soon enough be a thing of the past. On the one hand enamel regeneration is close to realization, and on the other hand so are ways of eliminating the agents of tooth decay: "A new mouthwash developed by a microbiologist at the UCLA School of Dentistry is highly successful in targeting the harmful Streptococcus mutans bacteria that is the principal cause tooth decay and cavities. In a recent clinical study, 12 subjects who rinsed just one time with the experimental mouthwash experienced a nearly complete elimination of the S. mutans bacteria over the entire four-day testing period. ... This new mouthwash is the product of nearly a decade of research conducted by Wenyuan Shi ... Shi developed a new antimicrobial technology called STAMP (specifically targeted anti-microbial peptides) [which] acts as a sort of 'smart bomb,' eliminating only the harmful bacteria and remaining effective for an extended period. ... With this new antimicrobial technology, we have the prospect of actually wiping out tooth decay in our lifetime."
Link: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111116045657.htm