Nobody knows for sure what causes tooth decay. But since acid-producing bacteria are now blamed by most cavity detectives, an antibiotic to check the bacteria looked like a good bet. Last week, with the blessing of the Food & Drug Administration, the Andrew Jergens Co. offered druggists just such a prescription item: Dentocillin, a tooth powder containing penicillin.
The new tooth powder had been tested first in the laboratory by Dr. Helmut A. Zander of Tufts College Dental School. Then schoolchildren in Walpole, Mass, were used as human guinea pigs. In the first year, 216 children at the Stone School, who used...
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