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Professor
Emeritus Turns
Entrepreneur
Dr. Tetsuo
Nakamoto, LSUHSC professor
emeritus, is a man of
perseverance, patience,
and commitment. After
dedicating nearly 30 years
of his career to dental
research, he shifted his
focus seven years ago to
bring his life's work to
the marketplace.
A new
toothpaste derived from
chocolate is the result of
his efforts. A member of
the LSUHSC School of
Dentistry (LSUSD) faculty
for 28 years, Dr. Nakamoto
is a dentist and PhD. His
research on the effects of
caffeine on fetal
development eventually led
to the discovery that an
ingredient in cocoa
strengthens tooth enamel.
Theodent™, with its active
ingredient Rennou™,
derived from cocoa, is an
alternative to toothpastes
containing fluoride.
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| Tetsuo
Nakamoto, DDS,
PhD, displays
tubes of Theodent™
toothpaste |
In
collaboration with
Professors William Simmons
and Alexander Falster,
experts in analytical
geology at the University
of New Orleans, Dr.
Nakamoto discovered the
effect of theobromine on
teeth and enamel.
Researchers found that
this extract from
chocolate, similar in
structure to caffeine, had
a beneficial effect on
teeth and stimulated the
growth of new enamel.
Rennou™, a proprietary
blend of cocoa extract and
other minerals, increases
the size of enamel surface
crystals, making teeth
less susceptible to
bacterial acid
demineralization.
Dr. Arman
Sadeghpour, whose doctoral
dissertation at Tulane
University compared cocoa
extract with fluoride on
human teeth, is also a
member of this scientific
team. Retirement gave Dr.
Nakamoto the opportunity
to focus on his new
project, the founding of
Theocorp Holding Company,
to which he was named
chief scientific officer
and chairman of the board.
Dr. Sadeghpour is
president and chief
executive officer. The
company now holds two
patents with two more
patents pending.
Housed in
the new BioInnovation
Center on Canal Street,
100% of the technology has
been retained in
Louisiana. Officially
launched in January 2012,
Theodent™ Classic can be
purchased online. It is
available at Whole Foods
Markets in most of the
United States and British
Columbia and Ontario and
in Raley’s Supermarkets in
California and Nevada.
Theodent™ has a minty,
non-chocolate taste. It is
not harmful if swallowed,
unlike fluoride
toothpaste, and is safe
for children. The company
plans to launch a
chocolate-flavored
sugar-free toothpaste for
kids early next year.
Dr. Nakamoto
received his DDS from
Nihon University School of
Dentistry in Tokyo, Japan,
in 1964. He came to the
United States in 1964 to
attend the University of
Michigan School of
Dentistry and received a
master’s in prosthodontics
in 1966. He then received
two additional master’s
degrees, one in physiology
and pharmacology from the
University of North Dakota
and a second in physiology
from the University of
Michigan. In 1978 he
ultimately earned a PhD in
nutritional biochemistry
and metabolism from the
Massachusetts Institute of
Technology.
That same
year, Dr. Nakamoto joined
the LSUHSC faculty in the
Department of Physiology,
attaining the rank of
professor in 1991. He has
published over 100 papers
in scientific journals. In
2006 after Hurricane
Katrina, Dr. Nakamoto
retired with the title of
professor emeritus.
Dr. Nakamoto
continues to lecture in
physiology to students at
LSUSD. He is as
well-respected in the
Japanese-American
community as in the New
Orleans scientific
community. Among his
honors is the Order of the
Sacred Treasure, Gold Rays
with Rosette, in
recognition of outstanding
contributions to
friendship between Japan
and the United States of
America. The decoration
was conferred by His
Majesty the Emperor of
Japan in Tokyo in May
2010.
"Dr.
Nakamoto's commitment to
dentistry has been evident
to his peers and
colleagues. We are honored
to celebrate this
important milestone in his
career," said Dean Henry
Gremillion. "His success
is our success and we are
so proud of his
accomplishments."
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