Research Translation
Problem
By the age of eight, most American children have dental cavities, characterized by CDC as one of the greatest unmet health treatment needs. Dental cavities result from caries, a disease caused by the teeth biofilms (plaques) formed by bacteria Streptococcus mutans. While therapeutic mouthwashes (oral rinses) reduce caries, children younger than six cannot use them because of the danger of poisoning by the antimicrobial chemicals if the mouthwash is accidentally swallowed.
Solution/Product
A recently formed startup, MayPall, Inc., is developing a caries-preventing mouthwash that is safe to swallow. The mouthwash contains antibiofilm compounds from maple sap that inhibit surface attachment in Streptococcus (patent pending). Because maple sap is drinkable, a sap-based mouthwash will be safe to swallow.
Wyoming Impact
MayPall intends to overturn the status quo where tens of millions of children lack access to a therapeutically efficacious mouthwash that is safe-to-swallow. Parents of young children represent an untapped market niche for our antibiofilm mouthwash. MayPall intends to gain a significant share of the US mouthwash market valued at $6 billion and growing at a 4.6% annual rate. In the future, MayPall will expand the use of maple antibiofilm compounds into the oral health, wound care and food safety markets.
