Hair Products as Toothpaste: ScienceAlert
Hear’s a breakdown of the key details from the provided text, summarizing the research and its implications:
The Problem:
Tooth enamel doesn’t regenerate: Unlike bones, damaged or eroded tooth enamel doesn’t repair itself, leading to permanent damage.
Dental decay is widespread: Affecting roughly 2 billion people globally, it’s possibly the most common disease worldwide and a significant healthcare cost.
Current solutions are flawed: Resins used for fillings can be toxic and inferior to natural enamel, while fluoride only slows erosion, it doesn’t reverse it.
The Solution:
Keratin from sheep wool: Researchers at King’s College London have found a way to use keratin (a protein found in hair, specifically extracted from sheep wool in this study) to regenerate tooth enamel. Mimics enamel: When placed in artificial saliva, the keratin attracts minerals and forms a structure similar to natural tooth enamel.
Effective repair: This keratin-based material can fill in cavities and provide enamel-like protection,function,and appearance.
Enhanced properties: Combining different keratin types and other proteins creates a strong, durable, and degradation-resistant material with a hierarchical structure.
Key Takeaways:
This research offers a potentially natural and effective way to repair tooth enamel, addressing a major global health issue.
It provides a enduring alternative to conventional dental fillings.
The use of sheep wool as a keratin source is a practical consideration.