And Now, the Brush-In

U.S. cavity consciousness reached some sort of peak last week in Monroe County, Ind. In field houses, armories, factories, football stadiums and high school gymnasiums, more than 29,000 people gathered to scrub their teeth for about 21 minutes, as part of a mass "brush-in" to demonstrate the decay-preventing qualities of a new dental paste. The paste, manufactured under the name of Zircate, reportedly guards against cavities for as long as a year--after only one application.

Developed at Indiana University by Dr. Joseph C. Muhler and Dr. George Stookey, the prophylactic paste embodies more than 20 times the fluoride concentration of toothpastes now on drug-store shelves. The sweet-tasting paste polishes teeth as well. Dr. Muhler, who developed Crest, the first patented stannous-fluoride toothpaste, is a staunch supporter of fluoridating water supplies. But such efforts are not enough, he maintains. Only 155 million of 200 million persons in the U.S. are served by treatable public water supplies. Of them, only 82 million now drink water containing natural or supplemented fluoride. Muhler compounded his new paste to provide protection against tooth decay for 100% of the population, and particularly for disadvantaged preschool children, among whom dental care is the most neglected health service.

Muhler's new decay preventive will not be sold over the counter. Since indiscriminate use of his potent fluoride formula could be damaging, it must be applied under the direction of a dentist or a dental hygienist. More than 1.5 million persons have tested the paste thus far. The results: a 40%-95% reduction in tooth decay over a three-year period, depending on whether or not a treated person also drinks fluoridated water regularly. In Viet Nam, 400,000 combat troops, who average only one brushing every 21 days, have taken the treatment. Two hundred thousand additional soldiers will have their teeth scrubbed every three months.

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