BehindTheMedspeak: Dr. John's Herbal Lollipop — Chinese medicine that tastes good

Long story short: The orange-flavored sugar-free lollipop, invented by UCLA (Go Bruins!) microbiologist Wenyuan Shi, contains an natural ingredient from licorice root which kills Streptococcus mutans, the primary bacterium causing tooth decay.

Shi told Cynthia Lee, writing in the April 2008 issue of UCLA magazine, "Once you clean your teeth, the bacteria just grow back right away.... The human mouth really is the best natural incubator for bacteria – it provides the right temperature and a constant supply of food."

Lee continued, "Among the 700 kinds of bacteria that live in your mouth are a 'dirty dozen,' the culprits that can cause cavities."

Why a lollipop?

"It takes about five minutes to kill bacteria," says Shi. "With chewing gum, most of its contents are released in the first 30 seconds. If you use regular candy, people tend to bite it into pieces before swallowing them. Lollipops take 10 minutes to melt. We find it particularly useful for the elderly and kids."

More details here.

20 lollipops cost $10.