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TUESDAY, July 18, 2023 (HealthDay Information) — Fluoride might have discovered its match in stopping cavities.
New analysis reveals that toothpaste containing hydroxyapatite, one of many fundamental mineral elements in tooth, can stop cavities as successfully as fluoride, which has been utilized in toothpaste since 1956.
The findings had been revealed July 18 in Frontiers in Public Well being.
“If the article is right based mostly on the info, one would possibly select the hydroxyapatite over the fluoride, as a result of the hydroxyapatite itself is safer than fluoride,” mentioned Dr. Leonard Patella, a dentist with Northwell Well being in Glen Cove, N.Y., who was not concerned with the examine. “In case you give an excessive amount of fluoride, it may be poisonous. And an excessive amount of fluoride, if ingested, could cause injury to tooth. It could possibly trigger one thing referred to as fluorosis.”
Dental fluorosis is a situation that adjustments the looks of tooth enamel and might occur when youngsters devour fluoride throughout their teeth-forming years. In locations like the USA, circumstances are sometimes pretty gentle and often lead to white or brown spots on the tooth. In additional extreme circumstances, nevertheless, pits can kind.
“It is a essential subject,” mentioned researcher Dr. Elżbieta Paszyńska, head of the division of built-in dentistry at Poznań College of Medical Sciences in Poland. “In contrast to fluorides, hydroxyapatite has a excessive remineralization impact, biocompatibility, and is secure if unintentionally swallowed. Dentists worldwide must be knowledgeable about hydroxyapatite to be a secure and environment friendly various to fluorides for day by day oral care.”
For his or her analysis, her staff enlisted 171 sufferers in an 18-month trial, with an purpose that none would have a rise in cavities by the examine’s finish. Sufferers had been evenly cut up, half brushing twice per day with hydroxyapatite toothpaste and half brushing twice per day with fluoridated toothpaste. They had been requested to brush on the identical time on daily basis with an electrical toothbrush. That they had a dental examination each six months.
On the finish of the trial, 89.3% of the hydroxyapatite group and 87.4% of the fluoride group had no new cavities. Each toothpastes labored equally effectively, the findings confirmed.
However whether or not hydroxyapatite will steal fluoride’s crown for hottest mineral in dental well being stays to be seen.
Caries, the start of tooth decay, are the results of micro organism attacking the floor of the tooth, mentioned Dr. Janet Moradian-Oldak, a professor of dentistry and biosciences/bioengineering on the College of Southern California.
“If you eat an excessive amount of sugar, the micro organism makes use of the sugar, metabolizes it, after which creates acid, and that acid dissolves the enamel of the tooth,” she defined. “And if you happen to don’t have good dental hygiene, if you happen to eat acidic meals, if you happen to don’t brush your tooth, and if dissolving the mineral is quicker than rebuilding the mineral in your saliva, that finally results in cavity.”
Fluoride principally slows demineralization, Moradian-Oldak mentioned.
“They’re principally defending the tooth from dissolving too quick,” she defined, including “that is the most affordable option to stop development of dental caries.”
Hydroxyapatite toothpaste, however, is dearer, a Google search reveals. Costs vary from $11 to $18 for hydroxyapatite toothpaste and between $2 to $5 for fluoride toothpaste.
It’s additionally value noting that this examine seemed solely at dental caries, and never how hydroxyapatite impacts extra extreme points like cavities.
However, for people who find themselves anti-fluoride, this might be the best various, Patella mentioned.
“There are a whole lot of sufferers, youngsters, mother and father who say we don’t need fluoride, in order that they use non-fluoridated toothpaste — and by itself, non-fluoridated toothpaste is just not as efficient in defending the tooth,” he mentioned. “You’re cleansing the tooth, you’re eradicating the plaque, however you’re not defending the tooth, making them stronger because it occurs with fluoride. So on this case, if somebody is totally in opposition to fluoride, and now they’ve another that would stop youngsters from getting cavities, I believe it’s an excellent answer.”
Extra info
The U.S. Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention has extra about oral hygiene.
SOURCES: Elżbieta Paszyńska, DDS, MSC, PhD, head, division of built-in dentistry, Poznań College of Medical Sciences, Poznań, Poland; Janet Moradian-Oldak, MSc, PhD professor, dentistry, and professor, biomedical sciences and bioengineering, College of Southern California, Los Angeles; Leonard Patella, DDS, chairman, dental medication, Northwell Well being Glen Cove Hospital, Glen Cove, N.Y.; Frontiers in Public Well being, July 18, 2023
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