A Tulane University study reveals that chocolate may be better at fighting cavities than fluoride.

Researcher Arman Sadeghpour says cocoa extract and its crystalline powder helps harden enamel making teeth less susceptible to decay. He created his own peppermint flavored toothpaste that contains hints of chocolate.

RESULTS FROM THE STUDY REVEALED:

“Researchers comparatively tested an extract obtained from the cacao bean and fluoride, which were applied to extracted human molars. In the first comparison, treated teeth were left in a specialized machine, which gradually indented into each tooth, revealing the hardness of the enamel. The results show that teeth treated with cocoa extract proved to be much stronger than when fluoride was used.

In the second test, each tooth was placed in either cocoa extract or fluoride and left overnight. The next day, each tooth was soaked in strong acid for 10 minutes and then measured to see how much calcium leached into the acid. The team found that tooth soaked in cocoa extract had lost 8% less than those soaked in fluoride.

Tulane University press revealed, “The extract, a white crystalline powder whose chemical makeup is similar to caffeine, helps harden teeth enamel, making users less susceptible to tooth decay. The cocoa extract could offer the first major innovation to commercial toothpaste since manufacturers began adding fluoride to toothpaste in 1914.” -Therawfoodworld.com