Does toothpaste contain fluorine or does toothpaste contain fluorine cause cancer?
4hw.org: toothpaste is our necessary daily toiletries, which can maintain oral health and whiten teeth and freshen breath. We all know that many toothpastes will add fluoride in order to prevent tooth decay. However, in recent years, there is a rumor that toothpaste containing fluorine causes cancer. Is this true? Does toothpaste contain fluorine or not? Let's find out!
Why toothpaste should contain fluorine
Why should fluoride be added to toothpaste? Cavity proof!
Caries is the result of breaking the dynamic balance between demineralization and remineralization of hard tissues. Demineralization is the dissolution and loss of minerals in teeth, while remineralization is the re deposition of dissolved mineral salts on teeth. Fluoride can make remineralization more important than demineralization and prevent the development of caries.
When brushing teeth, the fluorine in the fluoride toothpaste is released, forming a fluorine-containing mineralization system with calcium, phosphorus and other mineral salts in the paste. On the one hand, the fluorine ion can replace the hydroxyl group in the mineral salt of the tooth tissue, forming the fluorine-containing mineral salt, enhancing the anti caries ability of the teeth; on the other hand, the fluoride can promote the deposition of minerals on the tooth surface, remineralize the early caries and repair the enamel. Because the demineralization of teeth occurs in the whole caries process, it is recommended to use fluoride many times and locally. Adding fluoride to toothpaste can well meet the local and multiple use conditions, and is the first choice to effectively maintain the appropriate concentration of fluoride in the oral cavity.
At present, most toothpastes on the market contain fluoride, and all toothpastes approved by the American Dental Association contain fluoride. The guidelines for oral health of Chinese residents also believe that brushing with fluoride toothpaste is a safe and effective caries prevention measure. It is recommended to use fluoride toothpaste to prevent caries, especially for children and the elderly with caries tendency.
Fluoride toothpaste, safe and effective
Just as too much salt can lead to poisoning, any substance may be poisoned due to excessive intake, including fluoride toothpaste. However, fluoride toothpaste is safe if used normally.
For an adult of 60 kg body weight, the recommended daily intake of fluoride should be less than 4.2 mg [5]. The fluoride concentration of adult toothpaste is generally 1000-1500 mg / kg. If one gram of fluoride toothpaste (about 1 cm long paste) is used, brush twice a day, and the total fluoride content is only 2-3 mg. After brushing, spit out the toothpaste paste, spit out most of the fluorine, and the rest of the fluorine swallowed into the body is only a small part, which will not cause harm to the human body.
For children, especially children under 6 years old, it is easy to swallow toothpaste when brushing because of poor swallowing reflex. Pay attention to prevent excessive fluoride intake. On the one hand, children should use children's toothpaste with less fluoride (the fluoride concentration is generally 250-500 mg / kg [5]), and it should not exceed twice a day, and the dosage should not exceed the size of a pea each time. On the other hand, parents should supervise their children's brushing and encourage them to spit out toothpaste instead of swallowing it. The occasional ingestion should not be too worried, because even if a toothpaste containing 1500 mg / kg fluorine is used, a 1-year-old child needs to take 33 grams at a time to reach the possible toxic amount [4]. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also recommends that fluoride toothpaste be used only after a child reaches the age of 2.
Fluoride toothpaste, not for everyone
According to the oral health guidelines for Chinese residents, the promotion and application of fluoride is suitable for high-risk groups in areas with low fluoride, suitable fluoride and high caries incidence. However, people in high fluorine areas are not suitable to use fluoride toothpaste.
In some areas of our country, such as Chaoshan area and Shanxi area with many coal mines, the groundwater itself contains high fluorine. The local residents drink the water that has not been treated with defluoridation, and take in excessive fluorine for a long time, resulting in chronic poisoning. Mild poisoning will cause dental fluorosis, and a few severe poisoning will lead to skeletal fluorosis. The tooth surface of patients with dental fluorosis will appear chalky spots, even punctate pits, which will turn yellow brown due to dentin exposure and coloring. The rumor that "water with high fluorine content will cause teeth to turn yellow" actually means that excessive fluorine intake will cause dental fluorosis. People in these areas should no longer use fluoride toothpaste. Due to the scattered distribution of high fluorine areas in China, readers can learn about the local fluorine level from local dentists or centers for Disease Control and prevention.
In other words, now there are relevant measures to reduce the fluorine concentration of drinking water in high fluorine areas, and the incidence of dental fluorosis in high fluorine areas has declined.
Conclusion: fluoride toothpaste does not cause cancer. 'the water with high fluorine content will cause teeth to turn yellow' in fact, it refers to the dental fluorosis caused by excessive fluorine intake for a long time. The anti caries function of fluoride toothpaste is indispensable, and normal use is safe and harmless. However, fluoride toothpaste should not be used in high fluorine drinking water area.