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Caption: Book - Research on Campus (1949)
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They brush their teeth for science New dentifrice kills bacteria T H E SCHOOL children at left are brushing their teeth for science. They are using a new dentifrice developed by Dr. Robert G. Kesel and his associates, Edward G. Wach, Joseph O'Donnell and Ernst Kirch of the Colleges of Dentistry and Pharmacy. They studied some of the lucky people who have never h a d cavities in their teeth and found that all lack certain bacteria in their mouths, bacteria which are found in the mouths of all persons with tooth cavities. Experimenting further, they found that ammonia developed in the saliva of all these cavity-less people more rapidly than in the saliva of other people. Laboratory experiments showed that this chemical was deadly to the bacteria. A dentifrice was devised using salts of ammonia. I n the picture at the right, Dr. Joseph F. O'Donnell holds u p two culture plates. Bacteria specimens from the mouths of patients were placed in each of them, but the plate at the left was treated with the chemicals present in the new dentifrice. Last year fifth graders in the Aurora and Peoria schools were chosen as subjects on which to test the dentifrice. At that age most children have just got their second teeth and little decay has started. First, all their teeth were examined and cleaned. T h e n the children began a routine of brushing their teeth four times daily with the new dentifrice. Since the schools are cooperating, two of the brushings are done in the classrooms under the teachers' supervision. Next year when the study ends (after the children have used nearly 25,000 pounds of tooth p o w d e r ! ) , Dr. Kesel and his associates and the Illinois State Health Department who are also cooperating in the study will be able to compare four groups of children. O n e group is the control — its members kept on doing just what they've always done. A second group followed the brushing routine, but didn't use the ammoniated dentifrice. T h e third and fourth groups used two different types of ammoniated dentifrice. Technology Page 23 Page 22
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