TOOTHPASTE

Since decades, toothpaste is the major contributor in the oral health industry because of its
reputation as the most reliable oral healthcare product for daily usage. Almost everyone around the
globe consumes toothpaste on daily basis, because they are generally affordable and suitable for all
ages. By definition, toothpaste is a colloidal suspension of a mixture of ingredients that must be
carefully balanced in order to provide an efficacious, safe, and consumer friendly product.
Toothpaste is the most widely used dentifrice in the world.

Toothpastes are often produced in the form of gel or paste. They are delivered to the consumers
in cylindrical tubes that allow easy consumption. To face the ever-competitive world of oral health
industry, companies come up with various colours, flavourings and appearances of the product, the
most recent hype is the multi-striped ones. A company can produce more than 20 different
toothpaste formulations for a single marketplace. Health professionals recommended that each
adult should have their teeth brushed at least twice a day with approximately 1 gram of dentifrice
per brushing. This would result in each adult using approximately 800 grams of dentifrice (eight
75 ml tubes) per year. In the past, toothpaste is treated simply as a cosmetic product. It serves the
basic needs of oral hygiene by removing debris, plaques and stains on the teeth. Due to the
discovery of fluoride in the 1950s, toothpastes are now based on the use of fluoride, providing
basic therapeutic benefit of preventing cavities.

To understand how toothpaste works, it is essential to know the structure of human teeth.
Enamel is the exterior, exposed surface of the teeth. This white outer layer is approximately 2-3
mm thick, consisting 98% of mineral. Underlying enamel are the complex structures of dentine
and the pulp cavity, which builds up the sensitive area of the teeth. Dental caries is the most
common oral health problem. It is caused by demineralisation of the enamel resulting in the
breakdown and destruction of the hard tissue of the tooth structure. Demineralization describes the
process by which the mineral structure of enamel and dentine is dissolved and removed as a result
of continued attack of acids produced by the action of microorganisms on sugars and
carbohydrates that are present in the mouth. In order for caries to occur, three factors must be
present simultaneously; caries-producing bacteria, susceptible teeth and foods and drinks with
caries-producing potential. The teeth structure is also vulnerable to periodontal disease, in which
plaque bacteria around the gum causes the gum to recede and expose the softer root of the tooth.

The chemistry involved in the manufacture of toothpaste is quite simple. Toothpaste are made
of inactive ingredients such as abrasives, surfactants, gelling agent, humectant, sweeteners,
flavourings and active ingredients namely fluoride and calcium phosphate. The principle of
cleaning the teeth surface is analogous to cleaning hard surfaces in the home. The desired cleaning
effect is achieved by using mild abrasives as the cleaning and polishing agent, in combination with
a surfactant, which aids in the removal of any adherent film. Abrasives commonly used in
toothpastes are dental grade silica, dicalcium phosphate dehydrate and calcium carbonate. Soap
used to be a surfactant, but its strong alkaline properties and unpleasant smell makes synthetic
materials more preferable. Synthetic materials such as sodium lauryl sulphate, have better foaming
properties and are usually of neutral pH.

Since abrasives and surfactants have unpleasant taste, flavouring oil and sweetening agents are
added to mask the taste of the ingredients and provide the consumers with a fresh, clean sensation
after use. The combination of sweetening agents and flavourings in toothpaste are very crucial to
meet the consumers’ preferences. While sweetening agents like sodium saccharine reduces
bitterness, flavouring oils adds diversity to the product. Mint flavourings tend to predominate over
other flavourings because they provide the taste of freshness and cleanliness after use. Mint
flavourings are made mainly of spearmint and peppermint oil, with the addition of other
components (menthol etc.) to give a cooling effect.

Gelling agent in toothpaste are hydrophilic colloids which disperse in the water phase of
toothpaste. This is necessary to maintain the integral stability of the paste by preventing separation
between the liquid and solid phases. The choice of gelling agents influence the dispersibility of
paste in mouth, the generation of foam and the release of the flavour components. Gelling agents
can either be made of natural polymers (Carboxymethyl Cellulose, Carrageenans, Xanthan gum),
synthetic polymers or clays.

Flouride is a relatively new ingredient in toothpastes. In 1950s, it was found that fluoride can
provide anti-cavity benefits, thus is integrated into the manufacture of toothpastes. Flouride are
usually manufactured in the form of sodium fluoride (NaF) and sodium monoflourophosphate
(Na2PO3F). There are few ways in which fluoride helps protect the teeth. Firstly, fluoride adsorbs
onto the tooth surface where demineralisation occurs, attracts other minerals such as calcium, thus
speeding up the rate of remineralisation. Another function of fluoride is that it alters the structure
of the developing enamel, making it more resistant to acid attack. Flouride also reduce the ability
of plaque bacteria to produce acid because plaque bacteria concentrate in fluoride. This disrupts
their ability to metabolise sugar, so they produce less acidic waste. A more recent active ingredient
used for remineralisation is calcium phosphate. Some toothpaste includes ingredients to reduce
sensitivity; they can either treat an underlying cause, or suppressing the symptoms by desensitizing
the nerves.

There was a debate in US on whether toothpaste should be categorised under ‘cosmetics’ or

‘drugs’. Previously, toothpastes are considered as cosmetics, since they only serve to clean and
beautify teeth without affecting its structure and function. Since fluoride is widely accepted as an
anti-cavity agent, US Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) has decided that all toothpastes
containing fluoride will be regulated as drugs. As a result, all packaging label of toothpastes must
contain the message that the product fight cavities and/or prevent tooth decay. US FDA has
established a number of regulations to ensure the safety of toothpastes. Each product must satisfy
either enamel solubility reduction or fluoride enamel uptake test and each packaging should not
contain more than 276 mg of fluoride. Labelling should identify product as ‘anti-cavity fluoride
toothpaste’ and include warning statements.