Can Sugarless Lollipops Reduce Tooth Decay?

An article in the November 2008 issue of the Journal of the Michigan Dental Association reported there is research currently under way at a number of institutions to determine if ingredients in a special sugar-free lollipop actively target and kill bacteria that cause cavities.

Scientists at the University of Michigan, the University of California, Los Angeles, and the Beaumont Hospital division of Geriatric Medicine (Detroit), in a study funded by Delta Dental, are looking at lollipops manufactured by Dr. John's Candies of Grand Rapids, Mich., that contain extract of licorice root (glycyrrhiza uralensis), thought to kill the bacterial agent primarily responsible for tooth decay.

The study, said Jed Jacobson, Delta Dental's chief science officer, is intended to help find effective regimens that will encourage prevention and control of dental disease in nursing home residents and children.