DENTAL NEWS - BioMin® F: controlled fluoride delivery - a breakthrough in oral health
The controlled release of fluoride at a low dose for many hours after brushing may be more effective at remineralising early lesions than increasing the amount of fluoride in toothpaste, reports Moira Crawford
Fluoride has been a standard ingredient of toothpaste ever since it was found to have a beneficial effect in preventing tooth decay. It has played a huge part in improving dental health, and soluble fluoride has been added to toothpaste, varnishes and drinking water in certain areas.
However, it has traditionally been held that increasing the concentration of fluoride within a product would correspondingly increase its efficacy. As a result, therapeutic toothpastes can contain up to 5000ppm fluoride with the aim of strengthening teeth and preventing tooth decay for high-risk patients.
Wasted fluoride
However, research has shown the quantity of soluble fluoride in toothpaste is not the complete answer. Professor Robert Hill, research director at the Dental Institute and head of dental physical sciences at Queen Mary University, London, believes much of the fluoride in conventional toothpastes go to waste.
Studies have shown that when conventional toothpaste containing a soluble fluoride is used, there is an immediate ‘high’ of fluoride in the mouth, but this drops exponentially as the toothpaste is washed away by the salivary flow. After about 100 minutes the amount of fluoride in saliva decreases below therapeutic levels – irrespective of the initial concentration (Figure 1 on the article).
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