New Candy Kills Cavity-Causing Bacteria

Wait, wait, this might change Halloween forever. Apparently, a biotechnology firm in Berlin has created a candy that doesn't cause cavities. In fact, it might just prevent them.

PSFK reports that OrganoBalance has created a candy that can actually break down cavity-causing bacteria. Specifically, streptococci bacteria that stick to a person's teeth after eating sugar and are a major cause of cavities.

The researchers decided to counteract this with other bacteria, a heat-killed bacteria called Lactobacillus paracasei, which binds to the bad bacteria and kills it, PSFK reports.

A short-term test gave subjects either a placebo or a candy that included Lactobacillus paracasei, and in testing, the researchers noted an immediate reduction of mutant streptococci after eating Lactobacillus paracasei-laced candy.

"The present pilot human data support our understanding that these bacteria, even when heat-killed and contained in a sugar-free candy vehicle, foster specific co-aggregation with mutans streptococci in planktonic suspension in saliva and, thereby, an increased probability that they will be cleared from the mouth," the researchers write in their abstract. Which means in the future, your dentist could be giving you some sugar-free candies, instead of a toothbrush and a sticker.