'Nkoma mawanga': Pomegranate good for dental health

Jun 21, 2017

"Pomegranate juice lowers the number of oral bacteria that forms plaque”.

(Credit: Ruth Nanfuka)

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You can add pomegranate, locally known as nkoma mawanga, to your dental health regimen.

Pomegranate is a red apple-like fruit with a thick inedible skin but the seeds are what people eat either raw or after being blended into juice.

According to Zainah Kiconco, a nutritionist in Wakiso, it is rich in Vitamins A, C and E as well as folic acid.

The acid found in pomegranate can help fight plaque buildup that leads to tooth decay and gum disease.

"Pomegranate juice lowers the number of oral bacteria that forms plaque," says Timothy Wabwire, a dentist in Kampala.

He says you can rinse your mouth with pomegranate juice to remove the plaque, as you would with mouth wash.

However, keeping the juice in the mouth for long can weaken the enamel hence tooth erosion.

"Use a straw to drink pomegranate to avoid down contact between the juice and the tooth enamel," advises Wabwire.

 

It is also advisable to rinse your mouth after drinking pomegranate juice to avoid excess acidity to the tooth enamel.

As much as the fruit is beneficial, it is rare on the market.

According to Susan Nakityo, a fruit seller at Nakasero market, the best pomegranate fruits on the Ugandan market are got from South Africa.

At the moment, it is off-season and the prices have hiked.

One imported pomegranate fruit ranges between sh8, 000 to sh10, 000 and the Ugandan pomegranate ranges between sh2, 000 to sh3, 000.

Nakityo attributes the difference in prices of the local and imported fruit to the level of quality and costs rendered to get the fruit on the market.

And when it is on-season, the prices of the imported type can reduce to around sh5, 000.

However, Nakityo says you can plant a pomegranate in your compound to have its benefits at an arm's length.

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