One of my daughters is a dentist. Preventing tooth decay is top of her list, so she made me buy a new electric brush and swap toothpicks. And she is right. Tooth decay is one of the world’s most common chronic diseases. It causes all kinds of issues, some of them quite straightforward: tooth loss, food digestion issues, speech issues, aesthetic issues and significant expenses, which are often not covered by insurance.
But the consequences of tooth decay go deeper. It is also a leading cause for inflamed pericardium (a heart disease), strokes and diabetes. So brush well!
Recent research points to a natural ally, however. Polyphenols in maple and tea appear to prevent cavity-causing bacteria from becoming harmful.
A study published in Microbiology Spectrum reveals that epicatechin gallate, or ECG, a natural polyphenol abundant in green and black tea and also present in maple, may offer a powerful way to prevent cavities. Unlike traditional agents, ECG does not rely on killing bacteria or strengthening enamel. Instead, it works by disarming Streptococcus mutans, the bacterium most responsible for dental caries, also known as cavities.
By blocking the ability of S. mutans to attach to teeth and form biofilms, ECG targets the root of the problem. Its safety, natural abundance, and low cost make it especially promising for everyday use in oral care products, particularly for young children who are more sensitive to standard antimicrobial formulas.
From Maple Curiosity to Cavity Prevention
The path to this discovery began not in dentistry, but in food safety. Scientists were originally investigating how Listeria monocytogenes, a foodborne pathogen, survives on different plant materials. They noticed something curious: while Listeria readily formed biofilms on most woods, it avoided maple.
That observation set off a chain of experiments. Researchers isolated polyphenols and found they prevented Listeria from attaching to surfaces. They also uncovered the molecular target: sortase A, an enzyme that bacteria use to anchor proteins that help them stick to surfaces. Without sortase A, the bacteria lose their grip. Because sortase A is also present in Streptococcus species, including S. mutans, researchers asked a new question: could maple compounds disarm the bacterium that causes cavities?
“Since S. mutans initiates cavities by forming biofilms on teeth and producing acid that destroys tooth enamel, we asked: could maple polyphenols also inhibit S. mutans biofilms? That question drove this study,” said corresponding author Mark Gomelsky, Ph.D., Martha Gilliam Professor of Microbiology and Director of the Microbiology Program at the University of Wyoming.