Global toothpaste manufacturer taps into nanotechnology
Clinpro TM 5000 specialty toothpaste is said to incorporate decay-combatting calcium and fluoride into the formula – a combination that is traditionally administered as separate treatments because the two substances inhibit one another.
“Furthering the benefits of fluoride by combining fluoride-combatable calcium in a widely accepted and familiar format like a toothpaste may provide significant benefits to high-risk caries patients,” said Rob Karlinsay, Indiana Nanotech’s CEO.
The technology utilizes FDA-approved food additives, which the company says ‘are meshed together through a high-impact, high-energy solid-state synthetic process to form functionalized composite materials’.
Using nanotech to tailor-make formulations
The resulting particles from this process span a range of sizes, from sub microns to tens of nanometers, making them easier to tailor and design around specific formulations processes.
The launch of the technology comes a year after US-based Indiana Nanotech received a $750,000 grant to develop the technology from Indiana’s 21st Century Research and Technology Fund.
The 3m ESPE company, which is also US-based but manufactures and supplies oral care products, including all the key European markets, is currently marketing the toothpaste through US dentists.
Global over-the-counter launch
A global launch for the treatment is expected to be made, depending on its success in the domestic market, with the ultimate goal of tapping into a global market for over-the-counter products incorporating the technology.
This is not the first time nanotechnology has been incorporated into oral care products, as nanotechnology has been used in products that help to protect sensitive teeth and gums.
Likewise, Swiss company SwissDent launched a range of tooth whitening products that incorporates nanotech-developed peroxide into the formula, back in 2007.
