Don’t trust toothpastes to stop your teeth eroding
EACH brand claims to be the best for pearly white, strong and healthy teeth.
But tests have revealed that no toothpaste is actually capable of stopping our teeth from eroding. None of the nine well-known brands tested were found to protect teeth enamel, despite boasts to the contrary made by the manufacturers.
Researchers said the toothpastes should be used to complement good diet and regular trips to the dentist, rather than being relied upon to do the job alone.
The study, conducted by experts from the universities of Bern in Switzerland, and Sao Paulo in Brazil, revealed the toothpastes tested were not able to reduce enamel surface loss, a key factor in erosion and hypersensitivity. In fact, every brand ranked behind saliva in terms of slowing erosion – although the scientists stressed it was still important to use toothpaste.
The research simulated the effect of brushing once a day on premolars donated for scientific use. The teeth were exposed to an acid solution over five consecutive days.
Blend-a-Med Pro-Expert, which claims to stop enamel erosion, was found to be the least effective in preventing loss of the hard surface tissue, with 0.004mm of surface enamel lost after five brushes. Sensodyne Repair and Protect and Colgate Caries Protection fared slightly better in the tests, with 0.0017mm and 0.0022mm surface loss after five brushes. Lead researcher Samira Helena Joao-Souza said: ‘Dental erosion is multifactorial. It has to do with brushing and, above all, with diet. ‘Food and drink are increasingly acidic as a result of industrial processing.’ Dental erosion is irreversible and is most commonly caused by acids in food and drink. Brushing after consuming this acid causes erosion and can result in discomfort and sensitivity particularly with anything hot, cold or sweet. Miss Joao-Souza said that in order for someone to experience hypersensitivity, the dentin beneath the enamel must be exposed – and erosion is one of the causes of this exposure. She said: ‘This is why, in our study, we analysed toothpastes that claim to be anti-erosive and or desensitizing.’ But the report’s co-author, Professor Ana Cecilia Correa Aranha, concluded: ‘None of them was better than the others. The test showed that some caused less surface loss than others, but they all resembled the control toothpaste [for] this criterion.’ Nevertheless, the study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, acknowledged that the presence of fluoride in the toothpastes was helpful, especially for preventing decay and crumbling teeth.
‘No brand was any better than saliva’