Red wine helps prevent tooth decay

In addition to proper dental care as advised by your dentist, you can also avoid tooth decay by drinking red wine, according to a new study.

Grape seed extract and red wine have been found to have the ability to destroy plaque caused by bacteria, helping to effectively prevent tooth decay. Photo: Word Press

Research recently published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry found that red wine can prevent tooth decay.

Researcher Maria Victoria Moreno-Arribas from the Spanish National Research Council and colleagues explain that oral diseases are extremely common around the world. Statistics show that tooth decay, gum disease and tooth loss/loss affect between 60 and 90 percent of the global population.

Problems arise when certain bacteria in the mouth band together and form biofilms, making them difficult to kill. Many biofilms form plaque and secrete acids that destroy teeth.

Brushing, fluoride toothpaste and water, and other oral care measures can help remove bacterial plaque, but their effectiveness is limited. Based on previous research showing that grape seed extract and wine can slow bacterial growth, Moreno-Arribas and her colleagues set out to see if they could prevent cavities.

The team grew oral bacteria into biofilms. They then immersed the biofilms in different solutions, including regular red wine, alcohol-free red wine, red wine enriched with grape seed extract, water, and 12% ethanol for several minutes. The results showed that red wine with or without alcohol and wine containing grape seed extract were the most effective at killing the bacteria.

The discovery could lead to the development of natural products to combat dental disease, based on grape seed extract and red wine components.

Not all recent research has been good news for wine drinkers, however. Last week, a study found no evidence that red wine can extend human life. Specifically, resveratrol, an antioxidant found in the skin of red grapes, had no significant effect on inflammation, heart disease, cancer, or longevity.

According to Vietnamnet