I’ve seen toothpastes containing sodium monofluorphosphate (“new colgate with MFP, helps to fight the cavities!”), and sodium fluoride. When I was a kid they used to tout stannous fluoride (a tin-based salt) in the toothpaste. Is there any difference in effectiveness among these three different compounds? Why do some companies use one over another? Stannous Fluoride seems less common now. How come?
Mainly the toxicity of Fluorides. Stannous Fluoride was even more toxic than Sodium Flouride
The fluoride of the disodium salt of
monfluorophosphate is the active ingredient in many toothpastes. It’s formula is Na2PO3F; MFP. Although the fluoride is covalently bonded to the phosphorus, the <only> important difference between the metabolism of MFP and ionic fluoride compounds is in the process of absorption (the fluoride from MFP is absorbed slower). The absorption of <<fluoride>> from MFP occurs after enzymatic hydrolysis of the molecule by phophatases. MFP passes into the intestine before the hydrolysis process cleaves fluoride from the molecule so it can be absorbed. Once absorbed, the metabolism of ionic fluoride is independent of that of the parent compound (Whitford G.M., The Physiological and Toxicological Characteristics of Fluoride, J. Dent. Res., Special Issue, Vol 69, 1990).
So does this mean you have to swallow the toothpaste to get the fluoride effect?
LOL, No. Its to prevent the harmful effects of swallowing toothpaste (especially for kids, kids have died back when stannous flouride was used).
Ok so in doing my part to keep a lid on reality, I’d like to see some documentation about kids dying from toothpaste. I recognize the toxic effects of some fluoride compounds, and I can see where kids may want to eat toothpaste…but how about a nice citation about kids dying from toothpaste.
There is no documented death due to swallowing toothpaste. However, kids below 3 years are recommended ( required ?) not to use fluorinated toothpastes.
I meant in my post that kids have died due to stannous fluoride swallowing - 1974, a three year old Brooklyn Boy & New York City.
from andy_fl cite
Bolding mine.
Glad to see no one has died from toothpaste like I had thought you had said.
While I’m still pretty confident that fluoride is poisonous if misused (like any other substance), I do have trouble with the above citation. It’s pretty slanted…I’d need a better source than this to believe the child deaths mentioned. I read the sentence I bolded as an indication the journal is not peer reviewed and the “scientific” assertions therefore at least suspect.
Hope this suffices :
andy_fl: (in response to a posting about the flouride compounds used in toothpaste) “…kids have died back when stannous flouride was used).”
andy_fl: (when Sigene asked for evidence) “There is no documented death due to swallowing toothpaste.”
andy_fl: “I meant in my post that KIDS [emphasis added] have died due to stannous fluoride swallowing.”
andy_fl: (when Sigene asked for evidence) "Hope this suffices :
"$750,000 Given In CHILD’S [empahsis addes] Death In Fluoride Case. " (A description of a case in which an unspupervised child in a dental clinic drank a large quantity of a concentrated fluoride solution intended to be used as a rinse and did not receive proper medical treatment for the ingestion.)
andy_fl: (going for a hat trick) “However, kids below 3 years are recommended ( required ?) not to use fluorinated toothpastes.”
According to the CDC, (MMWR Recomm Rep 2001 Aug 17;50(RR-14):1-42), “Children’s teeth should be cleaned daily from the time the teeth erupt in the mouth. Parents and caregivers should consult a dentist or other health-care provider before introducing a child aged <2 years to fluoride toothpaste. Fluoride toothpaste is a cost-effective way to reduce the prevalence of dental caries. However, for children aged <6 years, especially those aged <2 years, an increased risk for enamel fluorosis exists because of inadequately developed control of the swallowing reflex.”
“Parents or caregivers should be counseled regarding selfcare recommendations for toothpaste use for young children (i.e., limit the child’s toothbrushing to <2 times a day, apply a peasized amount to the toothbrush, supervise toothbrushing, and encourage the child to spit out excess toothpaste).”
"Parents and caregivers of children aged <6 years who use fluoride toothpaste should follow the directions on the label, place no more than a pea-sized amount (0.25 g) of toothpaste on the toothbrush, brush the child’s teeth (recommended particularly for preschool-aged children) or supervise the toothbrushing, and encourage the child to spit excess toothpaste into the sink to minimize the amount swallowed. Indiscriminate use can result in inadvertent swallowing of more fluoride than is recommended. "
“For children aged <2 years, the dentist or other healthcare provider should consider the fluoride level in the community drinking water, other sources of fluoride, and factors likely to affect susceptibility to dental caries when weighing the risk and benefits of using fluoride toothpaste.”
Hey, IMN An Health Expert. My speciality lies in chemicals and ways to make them. The topic of how much flouride is good (or bad) has been hotly debated. I don’t know much about the consensus (if it exists) about the health effects of fluoride in the medical community. I did not claim that kids die from swallowing too much toothpaste - if it appeared so - I am sorry.
Are you trying to twists the facts ? . Read from the headline in the cite above. **A State Supreme Court jury awarded $750,000 yesterday to the parents of a 3-year-old Brooklyn boy who, on his first trip to the dentist in 1974, was given a lethal dose of fluoride at a city dental clinic and then ignored for nearly five hours in the waiting rooms of a pediatric clinic and Brookdale Hospital while his mother pleaded for help, and he lapsed into a coma and died. [\B]
Now if the State Supreme Court found that the Child was given the dose - why do you twist it around to say that the unsupervised child drank a large quantity ?
The OP was about why we switched to mono flurophosphate ( from sodium and stannous fluoride) and I was trying to explain that. The reasoning was that the fluorine in the phosphate form is less slowly absorbed in the digestive system, if accidently swallowed.
Thank’s andy. That to me is the “better source” I would be looking for…at least for the one child’s death due to improper supervision resulting in lethal fluoride ingestion.
I’ll leave now before I inadvertantly become somehow embroiled in a great debate.
From andy_fl’s link: "Mrs. Kennerly said that Miss Cohen [the dental hygienist] was not paying attention when William drank the water about 9:30 A.M.
“In drinking the water, according to a Nassau County toxicologist, Dr. Jesse Bidanset, William ingested 45 cubic centimeters of 2 percent stannous fluoride solution, triple an amount sufficient to have been fatal.”
Now who’s trying to twist the facts? And what in the world does the state supreme court have to do with the toxicity of fluroride? Let’s please stick to the straight dope.
Hey, let’s get off all this stuff about people dying and onto what’s really important– my teeth. I use a fluoride gel (after my lower potency toothpaste) on my teeth every night. Can that have adverse effects (non-fatal ones, natch) on my poor little chompers?
Too much fluoride can cause dental fluorosis. A lot more fluoride can cause more serious problems. Whether or not your fluoride gel can have adverse effects on your poor little chompers depends on how much of the gel you swallow, how much fluoride is in it, and how much fluoride you absorb from your diet.
If you have plenty of fluoride in your drinking water and use a fluoride-containing toothpaste, you may not get any benefit at all from using the gel. Find out how much fluoride is in your water and study some reliable guidelines (e.g. from the ADA or CDC http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5014a1.htm) or check with your dentist to find out whether you should be using the gel.
In general, fluoride gels are designed to be used twice a year. Are you sure you are using the your gel according to the instructions in the package insert?