Study questions effectiveness of fluoride in some oral care products

By Simon Pitman

- Last updated on GMT

A new study questions how effective levels of fluoride are in certain oral care products, suggesting that doses are so low they are relatively ineffective.

In a study carried out by head scientists Frank Muller Ph.D. at the Saarland University in Germany, experiments revealed that the protective shield fluoride shield formed from using oral care products was up to 100 times thinner than previously thought.

The scientists say that they findings suggest this may provide new insights into how the cavity-fighting substance actually works to protect the teeth, as well as helping to develop more effective oral care products.

The study, which appears in the ACS journal Langmuir, highlights how Dr. Muller and his research team discovered that the layer of fluoride is often only 6 nanometers in thickness, suggesting that coverage is often inadequate to effectively fight oral diseases that effect tooth enamel.

The research team used X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy to study the fluoridation of enamel, which found that previous studies of fluoride levels in tooth enamel had greatly exaggerated the amount of fluoride coverage on teeth – in some cases by as much as ten times.

Following what the scientists claim to be is the true coverage of fluoride on the enamel, Dr. Muller and his team question that the average level of fluoride cover highlighted in their experiments is insufficient to provide a sufficient shield against tooth decay.

The scientific team says that future research will concentrate on determining what the level of fluoride coverage on tooth enamel should to provide optimal protection against tooth decay.

Fluoride has been an integral ingredient in the development of oral care products such as mouthwash and toothpaste, making it the preferred active ingredient to protect tooth enamel and help fight decay.

Last year a Cochraine review of major toothpaste brands available in both the UK and global markets included 79 trials on 73,000 children aged up to 16 and clearly showed that toothpastes containing 1,000 parts per million (ppm) of fluoride were much more effective at fighting tooth decay in children.

However, the research from the non-profit healthcare research organisation found that the benefits have to be carefully balanced with the the risk of fluorosis in children under the age of six.

Related topics Formulation & science

Related news