The document provides information about toothpaste, including its history, ingredients, and additional details. It discusses: - The history of toothpaste dates back to 1500 BC, with early recipes found and its use recommended by Hippocrates. Through the 19th century, charcoal and powders were popular before advertising in the 20th century promoted active ingredients. - The main ingredients in toothpaste include abrasives, active ingredients like fluoride, coloring agents, detergents, flavoring, humectants, thickeners, preservatives, and sweeteners. - Additional details are provided on fluoride, baking soda toothpaste, tartar control, toothpaste without SLS, desens

1. Toothpaste
Nasir Al-Hamlan BDS, MPH, MSc, FDS RCSEd, FDS RCSEd, MOrth RCSEd, FICD
Consultant and Assistant Professor, Orthodontics
King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
@nhalhamlan
@saudibraces
nasiralhamlan
@nasiralhamlan

2. ❑ Purpose
❑ History
❑ Ingredients
❑ More about toothpaste with:
▪ Fluoride
▪ Baking Soda
▪ Tartar Control
▪ Toothpaste without SLS
▪ Desensitizing
▪ What does %w/w, %w/v and %v/v mean?

3. History
Recipes were found for making toothpaste that date back to 1500 BC.
Hippocrates (460 - 377 BC) recommended their use.

4. The 18th Century
The earliest record of an actual toothpaste was in 1780 and included
scrubbing the teeth with a formula containing burnt bread (a common North
American breakfast).
History

5. The 19th Century
In the 19th century, charcoal became very popular for teeth cleaning purposes.
Most toothpastes at this time were in the form of a powder. The purpose of the
tooth powder was not only to clean the teeth, but to give fresh breath.
History

6. The 20th Century
In the 1900's advertising began heralding the benefits of the active
ingredients. Pepsodent contained the enzyme pepsin, which supposedly
whitened teeth and dissolved dental plaque. Ipana contained ipecac, which was
believed to be effective against the bacteria that caused periodontitis.
In the 1950's, Procter & Gamble launched a marketing campaign for Crest with
stannous fluoride which made it the No. 1 selling toothpaste for over forty
years.
History

7. Purpose
Toothpaste is not required to clean teeth. Toothpaste can aid
in cleaning, but more importantly, it delivers active
ingredients to help teeth and/or gums.

8. Ingredients
The following basic ingredients are common to most toothpastes:
▪ Abrasives
▪ Active ingredients
▪ Coloring agents
▪ Detergents
▪ Flavoring
▪ Humectants
▪ Thickeners
▪ Preservatives
▪ Sweeteners
▪ Water
▪ Whiteners
▪ Other

9. Ingredients
Abrasives10-50%
Used to aid in the removal of plaque / tartar.
Examples: alumina, hydrated silica, dicalcium phosphate, salt,
pumice, kaolin, bentonite, calcium carbonate (chalk), sodium
bicarbonate (baking soda), calcium pyrophosphate

10. Active ingredients 0.2-1.5%
Ingredients
Active ingredients are those components of toothpaste that have a direct effect on
the teeth or gums. Active ingredients must be blended in a way that their activity is
not lost.
Examples:
Decay prevention;
- Fluoride (sodium monofluorophosphate, stannous fluoride, or sodium fluoride),
xylitol [reduces decay levels and enhances remineralization]
PPM
1500
1000
500
Sodium fluoride
0.32%
0.22%
0.11%
Sodium Monofluorophosphate
1.14%
0.76%
0.38%

11. Active ingredients: Examples:
Antibacterial agents
Ingredients
Triclosan, sanguinaria extract, baking soda (when greater than 26%),
zinc citrate trihydrate, polyphenols, stannous fluoride, essential oils
Tartar control agents
tetrasodium pyrophosphate, Gantrez S-70, sodium tri-polyphosphate
Enzymes to enhance antibacterial properties of saliva
glucose oxidase, lactoperoxidase, lysozyme
Desensitizing agents
potassium nitrate, strontium chloride, sodium citrate

12. Ingredients
Coloring agents
Coloring adds pleasant esthetics so that we find toothpaste visually
appealing.
Examples: red, green (D&C #5), and blue; titanium dioxide (white)

13. Ingredients
Detergents 0.5-2%
Also known as soaps, foaming agents, or surfactants. All
surfactants help aid in the removal of compounds that have
properties different from one another like oil and water. The
presence of detergents requires flavoring to mask their dreadful
flavor.
Examples: sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), sodium lauroyl
sarcosinate, sodium N-lauryl sarcosinate, dioctyl sodium
sulfosuccinate, sodium stearyl fumarate, sodium stearyl lactate,
sodium lauryl sulfoacetate

14. Ingredients
Flavoring 0.8-1.5%
Flavoring is added for obvious reasons. It is also functions to mask
the flavor of the detergent component, especially SLS.
Mint flavors, especially when combined with menthol, contain oils
that volatilize in the warmth of the mouth. The volatilization
requires energy, which is extracted from the tissues of the mouth as
heat, thereby imparting a cooling sensation.
Examples: peppermint, spearmint, cinnamon, wintergreen, and
menthol, fennel

15. Ingredients
Humectants15-70%
Humectants retain water and help maintain a consistent paste-like
quality in the toothpaste, preventing a separation of the liquid and
solids in the toothpaste. Humectants in some cases can affect flavor,
coolness and sweetness.
Examples: sorbitol, pentatol, glycerol, glycerin, propylene glycol,
polyethylene glycol, water, xylitol (uncommon, but superior), PEG
8 (polyoxyethylene glycol esters), PPG (polyoxyethylene ethers)

16. Ingredients
Thickeners 0.4-2%
Thickeners create the texture of toothpaste.
Examples: carrageenan, cellulose gum, xanthan gum, gum arabic,
sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), cellulose ethers, sodium
alginate, carbopols, silica thickeners, sodium aluminum silicates,
clays

17. Ingredients
Preservatives
Preservatives prevent the growth of microorganisms in toothpaste.
Examples: sodium benzoate, methyl paraben, ethyl paraben

18. Ingredients
Sweeteners 0.8-1.5%
Sweeteners are provided for palatability and acceptance. Most
toothpastes have sorbitol or glycerol/glycerin as humectants which
are sweet, but only about 60% the sweetness of sucrose (table sugar),
so other sweeteners are needed.
Examples: calcium or sodium saccharin (banned in Canada),
aspartame (Nutrasweet)

19. Ingredients
water 0-50%
Necessary component of toothpaste.

20. Ingredients
Whiteners
Whiteners added to toothpaste cannot whiten the teeth, but rather
work to reduce stain on teeth.
Examples: peroxide, citroxain, titanium dioxide, and certain
abrasives

21. Ingredients
Other
Many other agents are included in toothpaste for beneficial effects.
Examples: stabilized chlorine dioxide, mellaleuca, neem, CPP-ACP

22. More About Toothpaste

23. More About Toothpaste
Fluoride
Source
Drinking water fluoride (ideal)
Toothpaste fluoride
Gel-Kam, Omni Gel
Prevident (Rx required)
office strength (Rx required)
PPM
1
1,000 - 1,500
1,000
5,000
9,000
▪ Fluoride in the drinking water is only for teeth that are still forming(until
age 16). It is built into the tooth.
▪ Fluoride in toothpaste and fluoride treatments are for the surfaces of
teeth - and definitely work to prevent decay.

24. Dietary Fluoride Supplement Recommendations
Fluoride ion level in drinking water (ppm)*
Age
Birth - 6 months
6 months - 3 years
3 - 6 years
6 - 16 years
less than 0.3 ppm
None
0.25 mg/day**
0.50 mg/day
1.0 mg/day
0.3 - 0.6 ppm
None
None
0.25 mg/day
0.50 mg/day
greater than0.6 ppm
None
None
None
None
* 1 part per million (ppm) = 1 milligram/liter (mg/L)
** 2.2 mg sodium fluoride contains 1 mg fluoride ion.
More About Toothpaste

25. Dietary Fluoride Supplement Recommendations
It is suggested that only children living in non-fluoridated areas use dietary
fluoride supplements between the ages of six months to 16 years. Your physician
or dentist can prescribe the correct dosage for your child based on the following
considerations.
• Level of fluoride in your drinking water. If the fluoride level is not known, it
should be tested first. State and local health departments can provide
information on testing drinking water for fluoride levels.
• A complete fluoride history should include all the your child's sources of
fluoride. Don't forget all water sources (drinking water, juice, etc.).
• If your child is to benefit from the cavity protection that dietary fluoride
supplements can provide, long-term use on a daily basis is required.
More About Toothpaste

26. More About Toothpaste
Baking Soda Toothpaste
Toothpaste
(with baking soda)
Peroxicare Tartar Control
Crest
Colgate
Mentadent
%
baking soda
51%
20%
12%
5%
Baking soda is very low on abrasion (even plain baking
soda is less abrasive than Crest or Colgate).
It's primary function is to kill bacteria; however, at
least 26% baking soda is required.
Only Arm & Hammer Multi-Benefit Peroxicare toothpaste has
enough at 51%.

27. More About Toothpaste
Tartar Control
Tartar control works. The tartar control ingredients cannot remove tartar, they
only prevent it - about 40-50% reduction in the amount of tartar.
Even for the tartar that may form, it is much less tenacious when tartar control
is used all the time.
Tartar is hardened plaque germs. It is more beneficial to prevent tartar from
even forming by removing plaque completely by brushing and flossing
effectively.
Tartar is not the main problem, in fact, you can even have healthy gums with
tartar present, it's just more difficult to do. The plaque germs that adhere to the
rough tartar are the main problem. Tartar is also what stains, not teeth. No tartar,
no stain*.
* Over years teeth do in fact pick up some color internally and this is what tooth bleaching is
designed to address.

28. Some people are sensitive to a common ingredient in most toothpaste called
sodium lauryl sulfate that can cause Canker Sores.
More About Toothpaste
Toothpaste Without SLS (sodium lauryl sulfate)

29. More About Toothpaste
Desensitizing Toothpaste
Desensitizing toothpaste works if used regularly. It helps block
microscopic pores on the root surface. Also, it will take 4-6 weeks to feel
results.
A hint to speed the desensitizing process is to place a small amount of
desensitizing toothpaste on the exposed root surface when you are done
brushing and rinsing.

30. What does %w/w, %w/v and %v/v mean?
Percentages listed on ingredient labels are calculated in very specific ways. Here is the scoop on what
those percentages mean.
Percentage weight for weight - %w/w
This means the percent by weight of solute in the total weight of solution. Percent here is the number of
grams of solute in 100 grams of solution. For example, a 10% w/w solution of sodium fluoride would be
made by first dissolving 10 grams of sodium fluoride in a solvent (most probably water in this case) and then
adding solvent to a final weight of 100 grams of solution. (This is not 100 grams of solvent, but sufficient
solvent such that the final weight of solution, that is, solute (sodium fluoride) plus solvent (water), is 100
grams.
Percentage weight for volume - %w/v
This means the percent by weight of solute in the total volume of solution. Normally used where the solute
is a solid. For example, a 10% w/v sodium fluoride solution would be prepared by dissolving 10 grams of
sodium fluoride in 100ml of water.
Percentage volume for volume - %v/v
This means the percent by volume of solute in the total volume of solution. Normally used where the
solute is a liquid. For example, a 10% v/v ethanol solution (in water) is 10ml of ethanol in 100ml of solution.
More About Toothpaste

31. THANK YOU