The risks of brushing with fluoride-free toothpaste – Checkout – BNNVARA

In the toothpaste shop you are overwhelmed by a huge choice. One of the options is toothpaste without fluoride. But does this protect the teeth sufficiently against cavities? Jasper unconsciously brushed his daughter’s teeth with fluoride-free toothpaste for some time. During the dental check-up, eight cavities were found. The likely cause? The fluoride-free toothpaste.

If you brush well twice a day with a fluoride-containing toothpaste, the enamel of your teeth becomes harder and therefore less soluble and your teeth are better protected. Your teeth are more resistant to acids and sugars. People who regularly brush with fluoride toothpaste are therefore less likely to get cavities than people who don’t. In short: it helps prevent tooth decay.

This fact has been scientifically researched, says Dagmar Else Slot. She is professor of Prevention in Oral Care at the Academic Center for Dentistry Amsterdam (ACTA). In fact, fluoride is one of the most researched substances in the world. The advice of the KNMT, the professional organization of dentists, orthodontists and dental surgeons in the Netherlands, is therefore also: “brush twice a day for two minutes with a fluoride toothpaste, preferably electric. And also brushing or brushing between the teeth every day.”

However, this information about the importance of fluoride is not known to everyone and some hold different ideas about the effect of fluoride. A survey by Kassa shows that more than one in five people do not know that fluoride strengthens your teeth and bones (21.3 percent of 2070 people). And a quarter think fluoride is a replaceable ingredient (24.8 percent out of 2045 people).

It also turned out that more than 1 in 10 people (11.6 percent of 2099 people) brush without fluoride. Some reasons for this are, for example, concerns about the effect of fluoride, as the aforementioned figures also show, and ecological considerations.

For example, all kinds of horror stories are circulating on the internet, claiming that fluoride is harmful to your health. Fluoride is said to be toxic and even carcinogenic. In addition, a lot of people think that added substances in cosmetic products are often superfluous and can therefore be omitted. These people therefore opt for natural, ecological products without fluoride as an alternative. How valid are these claims?

Dental specialists are concerned about this ‘green wave’ and the resulting popularity of fluoride-free products. “It is precisely this addition – fluoride – that is very important,” says Dagmar Else Slot. That is why it is important that people realize the importance of fluoride and that it is therefore not dangerous.

The horror stories about the harmfulness arise because fluoride comes from fluorine. And the latter is a poisonous gas in its pure form, which can be harmful to health. But fluorine is not added to toothpaste in this pure form, but is attached as an atom to another substance such as sodium. As a result, it is no longer toxic and it is also given a different name: fluoride.

The dose of fluoride present in toothpaste is not harmful. Toothpaste contains 1 to 1.5 milligrams of fluoride per gram of toothpaste. When does the amount of fluoride become harmful? If you eat two whole tubes of toothpaste, according to Dagmar Else Slot. “But water is also toxic if you drink eight liters of it,” she adds. It’s just about dosage.

How do you prevent cavities? Slot emphasizes that brushing with fluoride toothpaste is part of good oral care, in addition to the fact that it is important that you brush well and long enough.

In addition, it is important that your sugar consumption is not too high and that you limit your eating and drinking times to seven in a day. These moments also include tea and coffee, but not a glass of water. The acids in food and drink affect the enamel of your teeth by dissolving it. Over time, the teeth recover due to the protective effect of the saliva. But if you eat and drink too often, your teeth don’t have enough time to recover. Has your frosting dissolved? Then it won’t come back.

If fluoride is so important, shouldn’t it be mandatory in toothpaste? And shouldn’t it be stated more clearly on fluoride-free toothpastes that there is no fluoride in the product? We put these questions to the Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA), the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport (VWS) and Weleda, the manufacturer of the toothpaste used to brush Jasper’s daughter’s teeth.

The NVWA says that it is not legally required that toothpaste must contain fluoride. VWS also indicates that under the applicable laws and regulations “it is not mandatory to warn on packaging of fluoride-free toothpaste about the consequences of brushing without fluoride. It will be investigated whether this obligation is considered to be mandatory at European level and what the possibilities are for introducing it if necessary.”

Weleda said in a written response that fluoride application is commonly considered by experts to be the most important preventive measure against cavities. This is why fluorides are added to the vast majority of toothpastes on the market. However, fluorides alone cannot prevent caries. But according to the brand, whether to use fluoridated or non-fluoridated toothpastes should remain a decision of consumers in consultation with their doctor or dentist

Kassa has asked the producers of AloeDent, Australian Tea Tree, ecodenta and Parodontax, brands featured in the report, for a written response, but has not yet received one. Urtekram did respond, which you can read below.