Page 28 - ARUBA TODAY

A28 SCIENCE
Thursday 9 augusT 2018
Experts question benefits of fluoride-free toothpaste

By JEFF DONN suggests that a healthy mix
AP National Writer of oral bacteria is key to
Dental health experts worry dental health. "I don't think
that more people are using fluoride makes a difference
toothpaste that skips the at all," he said.
most important ingredient However, referring to his
— fluoride — and leaves company's decay-fighting
them at a greater risk of claim, he added: "After this
cavities. call, I'm probably going to
Most toothpastes already remove that from the web-
contain fluoride. While site, because I don't think
health authorities recog- that should be on there,
nize fluoride as a cav- because I didn't know that
ity blocker, the internet is was on there."
dotted with claims, often Jeff Davis, the CEO of Shef-
from "natural" toothpaste field Pharmaceuticals that
marketers and alternative sells toothpaste with and
medicine advocates, that without fluoride, said it's
fluoride-free toothpaste "pretty established" that flu-
also prevents cavities. oride is what helps reduce
Dental authorities disagree. cavities. But he said some
"It's really important to de- people worry about the
bunk this idea that brush- harmful effect of too much
ing your teeth stops decay. In this photo taken Friday, Aug. 3, 2018, Philippe Hujoel, a dentist and University of Washington fluoride and so choose flu-
You need to have the fluo- professor, holds a toothbrush and toothpaste as he poses for a photo in an office at the school in oride-free toothpaste.
ride," said Damien Walms- Seattle. Even without fluoride, den-
ley, a scientific adviser to derman, a dentist and pro- oral care director for Crest- Paul Jessen, a brand man- tists say there's some value
the British Dental Associa- fessor at New York Univer- toothpaste maker Procter ager at Tom's of Maine, in brushing. Philippe Hujoel,
tion and dentistry professor sity who saw an advance & Gamble, said the review said "the products that the dentist and University
at the University of Birming- copy of the study and "serves as an important re- don't contain fluoride that of Washington professor
ham. found the findings credible. minder." we offer do not promise who led the dental review,
That view was underscored "What it says to me is that "Despite a large body of that benefit" to fight cavi- said oral hygiene without
this week by an article in the toothbrush is just a de- scientific evidence, there ties. He said his company's fluoride might produce real
the dental journal Ger- livery system." are growing numbers of customers generally under- cavity-fighting effects too
odontology that reviewed Few studies of the ques- consumers who believe stand this. small to detect in a study,
the scientific literature on tion have been carried out that all toothpastes are the Yet customer comment on or adults might conceiv-
cavities. Its primary conclu- in recent years because same and that as long as Amazon's website some- ably benefit where the chil-
sion is that, without fluoride, the value of fluoride has you clean your teeth effec- times indicates otherwise, dren in the studies did not.
oral hygiene efforts have been widely accepted for tively with a toothbrush or with many reviews insisting And toothbrushing did re-
"no impact" on cavity rates. decades. In the review, other device which cleans that the company's fluo- duce swollen gums in Hu-
The idea that just brushing University of Washington in-between the teeth, you ride-free toothpaste does joel's review. Brushing the
teeth doesn't stop cavities researchers looked for can prevent decay," he fight cavities. "If you brush teeth may also dislodge
has largely been accepted high-quality studies since said in a statement. regularly with or without stuck food and help pa-
among individual research- 1950 and found just three. The market share for flu- fluoride, you reduce the risk tients recover from oral sur-
ers for decades, but not They were carried out in oride-free toothpaste is of cavities," asserts one cus- gery.
always by the public. Den- the U.S. and Great Britain closely held company tomer. Dentist Matthew Messina, a
tists generally recommend and published from 1977 data. Industry sources esti- Oral care companies spokesman for the Ameri-
fluoride for cavity fighting, to 1981. They involved a mate it at no more than 5 themselves also stray into can Dental Association,
but even some of them total of 743 children aged percent of all toothpaste such claims. The website of said mechanical brushing
continue to believe that 10 to 13 years who flossed sold, but with projected Revitin non-fluoride tooth- can also help avoid decay
the mechanics of wiping and brushed for up to three growth of over 5 percent paste says it "strengthens that sometimes forms, es-
your teeth clean of plaque years. annually. On Monday, your teeth against tooth pecially in older people, at
also reduces cavities. The When the studies were Tom's of Maine antiplaque decay." the normally hidden roots
review findings, published evaluated statistically as a and whitening toothpaste, Gerald Curatola, the den- of teeth, which was outside
Monday, gave pause to at whole, there was no signifi- which is fluoride-free, was tist who founded Revitin the scope of this review.
least one dentist. cant cavity reduction from listed as the second-best and now serves as chief "The study is important," he
"It violates certain principles simply brushing or flossing selling toothpaste on Am- science officer, called the added, "because the study
we've been taught and without fluoride. azon's online buying plat- review "misleading." He is supporting what we've
that we teach and that we Dentist J. Leslie Winston, form. said that the latest science been contending for a
believe," said Richard Nie- long time." The ADA recom-
mends using fluoride tooth-
pastes.
The review also cited a
2009 analysis of studies in-
volving 60,000 people that
found fluoride rinse pre-
vents cavities about as well
as fluoride toothpaste.
In 2016, The Associated
Press reported on the poor
scientific evidence for the
benefits of flossing. q