No matter how comprehensive your medical insurance is, chances are it has limited coverage when it comes to dental procedures. Unfortunately, dental caries, the root cause of most visits to the dentists' and the most common childhood disease, is increasing in prevalence even in developed nations such as the US.

Researchers are trying to develop a vaccine that will prevent caries-causing bacteria, specifically Streptococcus mutans, to accumulate and colonize tooth surfaces. The scientists have identified S. mutans antigens which elicit a human immune response, and have successfully shown that the vaccine works in animal trials.

The Forsyth researchers are focusing on "mucosal" vaccines that can be sprayed into the nose for several reasons. Primarily these vaccines are better-targeted to stimulate nasal-associated lymphoid tissues, which can result in antibodies in saliva or other mucosal areas and, they are easier to administer to young children.

The advances on the development of a vaccine against caries is described in the Forsyth Institute News and discussed in full in "The scientific and public-health imperative for a vaccine against dental caries",published in the recent issue of Nature Reviews Immunology.