An FDA-approved therapy for iron-deficiency anemia could treat and prevent tooth decay-causing plaque, a new study finds.
The study was conducted by Philadelphia-based Penn Dental and Indiana University in Bloomington. The study looked into the effects of a "nanozyme" therapy that is a combination of ferumoxytol, an iron-oxide nanoparticle-containing solution, and hydrogen peroxide. Such nanoparticles with enzyme-like properties are often called nanozymes.
The treatment was applied to tooth enamel in study participants. Results of the study showed that a twice-daily application of the solution significantly reduced dental plaque and targeted the bacteria largely responsible for tooth decay, Penn Dental said April 6.
The study is a follow-up to a 2018 paper published in Nature Communications that showed the nanozyme therapy could prevent plaque buildup and tooth decay in lab studies and in an animal model. The results of the most recent study were published in the November 2021 issue of Nano Letters.