A chewing gum that can destroy the bacteria that cause tooth decay could be in the shops soon according to the Society of Chemical Industry. The gum is one of several products being developed by German chemical company BASF using the bacteria Lactobacillus, which is normally found in live yoghurt.

BASF has discovered a new strain of Lactobacillus called L. anti-caries, which binds to Streptococcus mutans, the bacteria responsible for tooth decay. S. mutans sticks to the surface of teeth, where it produces an aggressive acid that breaks down the enamel. The friendly bugs in the gum will make the S. mutans clump together, preventing them from becoming attached to the tooth surface. The company's tests reveal that the chewing gum can reduce the amount of bacteria in the mouth by fifty times.

“With Lactobacillus anti-caries we have found an antagonist which effectively binds to the caries bacteria and prevents them adhering to the surface of the teeth”, explains Dr Andreas Reindl, Project Leader at BASF Future Business. Although the company has said a Lactobacillus product is due to hit the supermarkets in 2007, it will not confirm whether it is the chewing gum and a new range of toothpastes and mouthwashes using L. anti-caries are also in the pipeline.

Other potential uses of Lactobacillus include the prevention of body odour and BASF are looking into producing a deodorant based on L. aladoris, which can inhibit odour-producing bacteria in the armpit. Similarly, tests have shown another strain, L. ala-odoris can reduce odour formation in feet.