Tooth drugs hit bug battle

WARNING: Toothpaste DEADLY antibiotic resistance is being fuelled by a chemical used in toothpaste to stave off gum disease, according to research.

Triclosan is used in more than 2,000 products but has been linked to cancer, inflammatory bowel disease and premature births.

Now an Australian team of experts has found it is making bacteria more resistant to drugs.

Dr Jianhua Guo, of Queensland University, said: “This discovery provides strong evidence the triclosan found in personal care products we use daily is accelerating the spread of antibiotic resistance.”

It was banned from some handwash products in the US in 2016 after studies had raised the possibility it could promote antibioticresistant bacteria.

Prof Zhiguo Yuan, from the university, said that the previous lack of evidence prevented bans in other countries.

About 700,000 people a year are already dying from infections caused by antimicrobial-resistance.