New oral health research claims that massaging teeth with a high-fluoride toothpaste increases protection against tooth decay by 400%, according to a report by Anna Nordström, a dentist and researcher at the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.
A new brand of toothpaste was launched 8 years ago in Sweden with more than 3 times as much fluoride as standard toothpaste.
The toothpaste is available to the public without prescription and is aimed primarily at those at high risk for tooth decay.
Researchers at the University of Gothenburg’s Sahlgrenska Academy have now performed the first scientific evaluation of the effect of this so-called “high-fluoride toothpaste.” The study has resulted in a new method that offers dental patients 4 times the level of protection from fluoride.
In the study, 16 volunteers tested a variety of brushing techniques, using either high-fluoride or standard toothpaste, and brushing either 2 or 3 times a day.
“The study revealed that those who used a high-fluoride toothpaste three times a day had four times better fluoride protection in the mouth than those who used standard toothpaste twice a day,” asserts researcher Anna Nordström from the Institute of Odontology at the Sahlgrenska Academy.
Also tested was a new method of applying toothpaste developed in collaboration with professor Dowen Birkhed, which involves rubbing the toothpaste onto the teeth with a finger.
“This ‘massage’ method proved to be at least as effective as a third brushing in increasing the amount of fluoride in the mouth,” stressed Anna Nordström . “Rubbing the front of your teeth with toothpaste can be an easy way of giving your teeth a third “shot” of fluoride during the day, after lunch for example. But this should not replace brushing with a fluoride toothpaste morning and evening – it’s an extra (teeth cleaning).”
Brushing with fluoride toothpaste continues to play a major role in combating tooth decay, and there is strong scientific evidence that daily use of fluoride toothpaste has a pronounced preventive effect.
The study Effect of a Third Application of Toothpaste (1450 and 5000 ppm F), including a “massage” method on fluoride retention and pH drop in plaque was published in Acta Odontologica Scandinavia.
The researchers offered the following 4 tips for dental patients for successfully fighting tooth decay —
1. Use toothpaste at least twice a day, after breakfast and before going to bed.
2. If necessary, brush a third time or rub toothpaste on the teeth instead.
3. If you have problems with cavities, choose a toothpaste with a higher fluoride content.
4. Avoid rinsing out the toothpaste with water.
Dentists, what do you think of this oral health study and how massaging fluoride toothpaste on to teeth increases the effectiveness in fighting tooth decay?
For more on this story see: New Massage Method Quadruples Protection Against Tooth Decay
