Candy alone does not cause cavities. That dubious honor goes to the bacteria Mutans streptococci, which is released into the mouth during chewing. This bacteria adhers to the teeth and oozes acid that damages the enamel. To counteract the bacteria’s effect, the team developed a candy containing an innocuous version of the Lactobacillus paracasei bacteria, which have a sugar on their surface that binds with the decay-causing Mutans streptococci bacteria and keeps them from attaching to the teeth.