Toothpaste is an essential component of oral health and is available with thousands of different formulations to address specific needs, like sensitivity and whitening. Despite these added ingredients, toothpaste's basic function – to scrub the teeth and balance the pH of the mouth – remains the same across the board. Most commonly, toothpaste has three main ingredients — baking soda, diatomaceous earth, and fluoride. The baking soda balances the pH, the diatomaceous earth helps to scrub off biofilms, and the fluoride promotes re-mineralization of the enamel.

However, evidence indicates this brief application of fluoride may not be helpful, since it is easily washed away and is ineffective just two hours after application. This is a problem, as acid levels in the mouth tend to rise at night depending on sleeping habits, a topic covered in a previous Incisor. To address this, researchers at the University of London have developed a new toothpaste with an ingredient specially formulated to release desired compounds over a greater time period than ordinary toothpaste, and to remain in the mouth longer after brushing.

This new toothpaste has the active ingredient BioMinF, a delayed-release formula that gradually releases calcium, phosphate and fluoride ions and lasts for up to 12 hours, re-mineralizing the teeth with greater efficacy than ordinary toothpaste. BioMinF is comprised of bioactive glass, specifically calcium phospho-silicate microcrystals that are created with fluoride embedded in the chemical matrix. These crystals slowly dissolve in the oral environment, naturally self-regulated by the pH. As the pH drops, more crystals dissolve, releasing basic compounds that neutralize the acid. Since the oral environment is then no longer acidic, no more crystals dissolve until the pH falls again.

According to the developer of BioMinF, this technology is not limited to consumer toothpaste. Professor Robert Hill, chair of Dental Physical Sciences and leader of the team that developed the product says, "BioMinF can also be incorporated in other professionally applied dental products such as cleaning and polishing pastes, varnishes and re-mineralizing filling materials."

The BioMinF consumer toothpaste can currently be purchased only in the UK, but plans are being made to bring the product to a worldwide market in the future.

Sources:
BioMin Toothpaste. Retrieved April 22, 2016, from http://www.biomin.co.uk/

University of Queen Mary London. (2016, April 11). Breakthrough toothpaste ingredient hardens your teeth while you sleep. ScienceDaily. Retrieved April 22, 2016 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/04/160411092258.htm

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The information contained in this, or any case study post in Incisor should never be considered a proper replacement for necessary training and/or education regarding adult oral conscious sedation. Regulations regarding sedation vary by state. This is an educational and informational piece. DOCS Education accepts no liability whatsoever for any damages resulting from any direct or indirect recipient's use of or failure to use any of the information contained herein. DOCS Education would be happy to answer any questions or concerns mailed to us at 106 Lenora Street, Seattle, WA 98121. Please print a copy of this posting and include it with your question or request.

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The information contained in this, or any case study post in Incisor, should never be considered a proper replacement for necessary training and/or education regarding adult oral conscious sedation. Regulations regarding sedation vary by state. This is an educational and informational piece. DOCS Education accepts no liability whatsoever for any damages resulting from any direct or indirect recipient's use of or failure to use any of the information contained herein. DOCS Education would be happy to answer any questions or concerns mailed to us at 3250 Airport Way S, Suite 701 | Seattle, WA 98134. Please print a copy of this posting and include it with your question or request.
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