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Caries and gingivitis are very common diseases and are caused by dental plaque. Although these diseases can be prevented by frequent plaque removal, few people have the manual dexterity, or the commitment, to ensure that sufficient plaque is removed. Conse quently, professional treatment is needed to remove or restore carious teeth and to treat periodontitis, a common sequel to gingivitis - this places a huge burden on health care budgets. Some beverages and foods are known to protect against dental diseases and this proposal aims to identify the constituents responsible. Such constituents could be incorporated into functional foods and/or oral healthcare products.
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The aims of the NUTRIDENT proposal are to:
<OL> <LI> identify constituents of beverages/foods that ar e able to protect against caries and/or gingivitis,
<LI> evaluate the effectiveness of such constituents in clinical trials,
<LI> provide formulations of the constituents suitable for incorporation into functional foods and/or oral healthcare products.
The project aims will be achieved by a research programme involving:
<OL> <LI> screening of potentially useful beverages/foods for biological activities relevant to the prevention of caries and/or gingivitis, <LI> isolation of the active constituents of the materials,
<LI> clinical evaluation of the active constituents in 4 European countries,
<LI> incorporation of the active constituents into formulations suitable for use in functional foods and/or oral healthcare products. </ol>
To carry out this programme, we have assembled a team consisting of 9 partners (7 academic and 2 commercial) with expertise in food and analytical chemistry, bacteriology, cell biology, dental plaque, caries, gingivitis, clinical trials, large-scale production of natural products and product formulation.
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For more information about this project, please visit the <a href="http://ec.europa.eu/research/biosociety/food_quality/projects/158_en.ht…; target="_blank">European Commission Food Quality and Safety in Europe</a> Web site.