\n
\n
![\"EarthSnap\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/earthsnap-banner-news.webp.webp\")
\n<\/a><\/p>\n
On irradiated enamel, the experimental rinse formed a protective layer that stood between the tooth surface and damaging acids.<\/p>\n
Working from those enamel samples, Natara Dias Gomes da Silva from the University of S\u00e3o Paulo (USP<\/a>) showed that a sugarcane-derived protein called CaneCPI-5 bound directly to the tooth.<\/p>\n This gave the coating unusual staying power, allowing it to shield enamel where saliva\u2019s normal protection had been lost.<\/p>\n Hidden risks of radiation <\/p>\n Radiation near the mouth often damages salivary glands, causing xerostomia<\/a>, persistent dry mouth from saliva loss.<\/p>\n This loss matters because saliva<\/a> normally dilutes acids and feeds calcium and phosphate back into enamel.<\/p>\n Among people treated for head and neck cancer, that damage can turn routine decay into radiation caries, cavities that follow radiation treatment.<\/p>\n Halting that damage requires something that changes both the tooth surface and the bacteria on it.<\/p>\n Mimicking protective coating<\/p>\n Natural saliva leaves an acquired pellicle<\/a>, a thin protein film, on teeth within minutes of cleaning.<\/p>\n Instead of adding moisture alone, the new rinse tried to rebuild that film with a protein engineered to stay on teeth.<\/p>\n Earlier CaneCPI-5 work<\/a> had already tied this approach to weaker plaque growth and less mineral loss.<\/p>\n That aim made the product unusual, because most saliva substitutes are built to soothe symptoms more than merely protecting teeth.<\/p>\n Simulating post-radiation oral conditions<\/p>\n To mimic a tough clinical case, the team built a biofilm, a layered bacterial community, from saliva donated by five patients after radiotherapy.<\/p>\n Before microbes settled in, researchers treated small enamel blocks and repeated the rinse once daily for five days.<\/p>\n Some samples got only the sugarcane protein<\/a>, while others also received fluoride and xylitol in the same base.<\/p>\n That setup posed a realistic challenge, although real mouths provide diet, pain, and brushing habits that a bench test cannot imitate.<\/p>\n Fluoride and xylitol boost protection<\/p>\n When CaneCPI-5 was paired with fluoride and xylitol, bacterial activity dropped to 38.3 percent in the best-performing formula.<\/p>\n Counts of surviving bacteria fell too, and enamel lost much less minerals than untreated samples did.<\/p>\n Compared against a commercial substitute and a standard antibacterial rinse, the combined version matched or beat both comparison groups.<\/p>\n Protein alone still helped, but the bigger effect was proven when fluoride and xylitol were included in the formula.<\/p>\n Protecting both balance and bacteria<\/p>\n Unlike harsher rinses, the combined formula did not simplify mouth<\/a> community as a whole.<\/p>\n Instead, it preserved overall diversity while increasing the benefits of early colonizing mouth bacteria.<\/p>\n That matters because a broad antibacterial approach can leave an injured mouth vulnerable to tougher pathogens.<\/p>\n The result suggests the rinse may encourage the ecosystem toward balance rather than broadly eliminating bacteria.<\/p>\n CaneCPI-5 did not start in dentistry, because researchers first identified it during sugarcane genetics research.<\/p>\n Later, the protein<\/a> showed it could bind strongly to enamel and reduce early erosion in a 2017 report.<\/p>\n That earlier result helps explain why the new rinse stayed on the tooth surface long enough to matter.<\/p>\n By the time the artificial saliva study began, the molecule already looked more like a tool than a novelty.<\/p>\n Adapting treatment for daily use<\/p>\n Patients need more than one delivery method, so the team did not confine the protein to a single format.<\/p>\n \u201cWe tested the mouthwash developed with CANECPI-5 by applying this solution to small pieces of animal teeth once a day for one minute,\u201d said Natara.<\/p>\n Separate tests also showed promise in gels and dissolving films, thin strips that dissolve on the tongue.<\/p>\n Several workable formats matter because some patients need short-term relief, while others may live with dry mouth for years.<\/p>\n Toward real-world applications<\/p>\n Next experiments will pair CaneCPI-5 with pieces of statherin, another saliva protein tied to tooth<\/a> minerals.<\/p>\n Researchers at USP also want vitamin E to carry the protein across the tooth surface and make home use easier.<\/p>\n \u201cBased on these results, we\u2019ll conduct further research so that we can think about applications of this product,\u201d Silva said.<\/p>\n If those add-ons strengthen the film, the treatment could move closer to a product patients use without a clinic visit.<\/p>\n Practical defense for vulnerable teeth<\/p>\n By replacing one of saliva\u2019s protective jobs, the rinse protected teeth before acids and bacteria could exploit a dry mouth.<\/p>\n Human trials still need to produce comfort, safety, and durability, but the idea now looks practical rather than theoretical.<\/p>\n The study is published in the Journal of Dentistry<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u2014\u2013<\/p>\n Like what you read?\u00a0Subscribe to our newsletter<\/a>\u00a0for engaging articles, exclusive content, and the latest updates.<\/p>\n Check us out on\u00a0EarthSnap<\/a>, a free app brought to you by\u00a0Eric Ralls<\/a>\u00a0and Earth.com.<\/p>\n \u2014\u2013<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Researchers have found that an artificial saliva made from a sugarcane protein can protect radiation-damaged teeth from acid…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":387752,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[134,111,139,69],"class_list":{"0":"post-387751","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health","8":"tag-health","9":"tag-new-zealand","10":"tag-newzealand","11":"tag-nz"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/387751","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=387751"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/387751\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/387752"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=387751"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=387751"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=387751"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}