Health1 min read

How does this fluoride-free toothpaste compare when it comes to oral health?

By · Via NPR · Published by Everything Blog

In short

Dentists report that patients are seeking out hydroxyapatite because it mirrors natural tooth enamel and may help reduce sensitivity while avoiding fluoride. The trend aligns with renewed criticism of fluoride by prominent figures like Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has associated it with various health ailments. However, dental experts counter that studies alleging cognitive risks evaluated fluoride concentrations exceeding twice the recommended U.S. water limit. Public health authorities reaffirm that standard fluoride safely remineralizes teeth and cuts cavities by 25%.

Key points

  • Hydroxyapatite is a calcium phosphate mineral with a composition similar to natural ename…: Hydroxyapatite is a calcium phosphate mineral with a composition similar to natural enamel that shows potential for easing tooth sensitivity.
  • Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has amplified skepticism by linking water fluorida…: Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has amplified skepticism by linking water fluoridation to arthritis, bone fractures, and neurodevelopmental disorders.
  • Dental experts maintain there is no concrete evidence of cognitive harm from fluoride at…: Dental experts maintain there is no concrete evidence of cognitive harm from fluoride at standard, regulated exposure levels.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

How you brush your teeth — and what you use to do it — matters.

Recently, dentist Dr. Jin-Ho Phark says he's noticed patients asking about fluoride-free toothpaste options. Phark is an associate professor of clinical dentistry at the Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of University of Southern California.

"There's a lot of interest from the patients," Phark says. "I hear that also regularly from students."

One product that patients are asking about in particular is a calcium phosphate mineral called hydroxyapatite. Many patients, Phark says, may have seen the products on social media, "being pushed by influencers and other people quite intensively."

The traditional fluoride toothpaste became common in the late 1950s, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, when Procter & Gamble Co. released Crest nationally. Over the next few decades, oral care products with fluoride as their active ingredient became widely available around the world. These products help protect the outer layer of teeth from cavity-causing bacteria.

And dental health is important because it's related to so many systems in your body, from your heart…

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