US developing 'combat gum' for soldiers

Up to 40% of US military staff are believed to be suffering from three or more cavities.

World Bulletin / News Desk
The US Army Institute of Surgical Research is working to develop a new type of chewing gum, which they call “Combat Gum,” to help their soldiers overcome plaque and tooth decay and cavities.
Featuring the bacteria klling anti-microbial peptide as a key ingredient, the gum has been developed specifically for soldiers who are at risk of decaying teeth in territories lacking water.
After 7 years of work, developers say that it has entered the trial phase. "Everything is going well," Domenick Zero, the director of the Indiana University School of Dentistry’s Oral Health Research Institute, told Russia Today.
The project as so far cost $12 million but is likely to save money for the military in the long term as the armed forces spend more than $100 million every year on dental procedures.
Colonel Robert Hale, the commander of the Army’s Dental and Trauma Research Detachment, told the Army Times, "Oral health is essential to warriors on the battlefield and could potentially save the military countless hours and dollars in dental health.”

Up to 40% of US military staff are believed to be suffering from three or more cavities.

World Bulletin.net