Red Before Cavities

In Stickney Township, on the outskirts of Chicago, kids who never heard of Dentist Raper (see above) may soon be using his arguments to browbeat their parents into serving backward meals. For Stickney eighth-graders have just had a colorful demonstration of what sugar left in the mouth may mean.

At the bidding of a dental-health educator, the kids chomped energetically on a wad of flavored wax. When the wax had done its job of stimulating a free flow of saliva, the dentist collected a saliva sample from each child and mixed it with a special reagent. Within a few minutes, the samples showed a variety of colors. These color changes, according to an inventive biochemist, Dr. Gustav W. Rapp of Chi cago's Loyola University, predict whether a child is likely to develop a lot of tooth cavities. The colors (from an enzyme in the saliva) will indicate the children's relative risks: blue means little chance of imminent cavities, orchid means some chance, red suggests real danger, and a no-color reaction is most ominous of all.

If the test is repeated on the same child at different intervals after he has brushed his teeth, it registers the activity of a food-breakdown enzyme in the mouth.

Even a child who is normally a "red reactor" with decay-prone teeth will show a blue reaction immediately after a good brushing. Those who eat their desserts first are not nearly so likely to need a toothbrushing for relative safety.

Merely predicting cavity risks is nothing new. But Dr. Rapp and officials of the Chicago Dental Society believe the wax chew test will be particularly helpful. Its color changes appeal to kids and help to demonstrate the value of mouth hygiene. And if broader trials confirm the saliva test's predictive value, it will show dentists whether a child's teeth need a protective painting with a fluoride solution.

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