This is not a drill: scientists say kids CAN pick their noses
It’s snot as bad as you think. Promise.
Boogers. Mucus. Greeners. Phlegm… Caught your attention (or made you pass on that second helping of potato bake) yet?
What was once a taboo-type of word – at least when talking about putting said-taboo word into your mouth and swallowing it – is now shuffling its way into the very intellectual conversations of… environmental microbiologists (?!).
Apparently that gooey nose gunk we tell every man, dog and child with a runny nose to steer clear of is actually good for you.
And that’s not just because fluids like snot and tears serve as our body’s first line of defense against a range of diseases, but snot, in particular, is beneficial for your – wait for it – dental health.
^ Every mum in Australia right now.
According to a medical study published in Applied And Environmental Microbiology, salivary mucins (proteins found in mucus) work to protect teeth from a cavity-causing bacteria.
Differentiating from things like toothpaste and mouth wash that, as reported by Ozy.com, kill bacteria, mucus, in fact, stops bacteria from attaching itself to a tooth, as well as preventing the bacteria from leaking acid onto a tooth’s enamel.
The positive health benefits of mucus for oral health has also prompted these researchers to begin working on a synthetic mucus, with the idea that it could be combined with toothpaste or chewing gum.
We never thought our rational thinking would lead us to even consider digesting snot as a means of bettering our health.
But if science says so…
