Kristie CerutiBad breath? Cavities? Gum Disease? Learn about the 700 kinds of bacteria in your mouth. This The uBiome Team pitch on crowdfunding site indiegogo.com poses questions such as “Why do some people get cavities and not others? What causes bad breath?” in the hopes that curious folk inspired by science will support its research with the purchase of a $79 dental genome kit, among other options.
For your donation, they’ll send you a collection kit, which includes everything needed to sample your dental microbiome. Dental what? (The dental micro biome — bacteria in the mouth — has been linked to dental diseases such as periodontal disease, gingivitis, dental caries, and can even indicate more systemic ailments indirectly.)
The uBiome Team suggests other ways you can help:
- Post a photo of your teeth, bacteria, or anything uBiome related with the hashtag #uBiomeDental on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. They will pick weekly winners of “awesome uBiome schwag.”
- Get your dentist involved. Tell her or him about the campaign and how uBiome is trying to revolutionize dental health. Buy him/her a kit to say thank you for all those root canals and fillings.
