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  • RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT

Microbes’ matchmaker helps bacteria to slime your teeth

A compound helps oral bacteria to hook up into sticky, decay-causing dental plaque.
Coloured scanning electron micrograph of Streptococcus mutans

The bacterium Streptococcus mutans (orange; artificially coloured) clings to teeth with the help of a film-forming molecule. Credit: Steve Gschmeissner/Science Photo Library

A newfound molecule helps bacteria to spread across the teeth in a crowded, sticky film — a takeover that marks a step toward cavities and a blemished smile.

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Nature 591, 348 (2021)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-021-00619-6

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