Toothpaste

• Dentifrices


  Agents used with a toothbrush to clean and polish the accessible surfaces of the teeth
• Forms of dentifrices

  • Paste
  • Powder
  • Gel
  • Liquid (not abrasive)
• Toothpaste

  • Most important
  • Most common
  • Most ideal in terms of content
  • Inherent consumer benefits
  • Preferred dosage vehicle for special therapeutic and cosmetic agents
  • Via mechanical or physical contact
• Dental plaque is a biofilm or a mass of bacteria that grows on surfaces within the mouth
• Removal of dental biofilm is important as it may become acidic, causing either demineralization of the teeth (known as caries) or hardening into dental calculus (known as tartar)
• When we eat, our teeth becomes acidic (pH<5.5) and demineralization happens, but after some time, around 1-2 hours, our teeth absorbs back the minerals which is called remineralization
• When we brush our teeth right after eating, there would be no possibility of remineralization since your teeth are still under the demineralization phase. So don't brush your teeth during its acidic phase or demineralized phase
• Abrasive


  • Exerts mechanical cleansing effect on the teeth
  • Helps remove stained pellicle
  • Acts in concert with the toothbrush
  • Particle size is largely below 0.4 mm in diameter
• Abrasive examples

  • Titanium dioxide
  • Insoluble phosphate, Dicalcium phosphate (dihydrate and anhydrous), calcium phosphate
  • Sodium bicarbonate (baking soda)
  • Calcium carbonate (Precipitated chalk)
  • Hydrated silica
  • Silicon oxide, aluminum oxide, granular polyvinyl chloride
• Titanium dioxide is a great polishing agent but is only used in limited amounts due to its whitening effect. Our teeth would lose their natural color
• Foaming agent (surfactant)


  Has foaming and detergent properties
• Foaming agent examples


  • Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS)
  • Sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate
  • Magnesium lauryl sulfate
  • Sodium lauryl sulfoacetate
  • Dioctyl sulfosuccinate
  • Sodium coconut monoglyceride sulfonate
• Flavoring agent


  • Imparts pleasant taste sensation (cooling)
  • Leaves a residual freshness and cooling sensation
• Flavoring agent examples for children

  • Bubble gum
  • Fruit aromas (mango, strawberry, apple, and banana)
• In labeling the product, the specific scent or flavor need not be indicated not just in toothpastes but in all cosmetic products
• Sweetening agent


  • Sweetens the taste
  • Non-fermentable sugar
• Sweetening agent examples

  • Sodium saccharin (most widely used)
  • Sorbitol
  • Mannitol
  • Glycerin
  • Acesulfame
  • Aspartame
• Non-fermentable sugar is used for the stability of the product
• Humectant


  • Maintain moisture and consistency of paste by absorbing moisture from air
  • Provides creamy base which resists drying out
  • Vehicle where other ingredients can be suspended or dissolved
  • 5 to 35% of total vehicle
• Humectants are used to prevent drying of the formulation (paste) resulting from frequent opening of the product container
• Binder / Gelling agent / Thickeners


  • Maintains the pasty consistency of the preparation
  • Develops a cohesive structure with desired rheological properties
  • Hydrophilic colloids that disperse and swell in the water phase
• Binder / Gelling agent / Thickener examples

  • Synthetic cellulose derivatives (CMC, MC, HPMC)
  • Alginates such as sodium alginate
  • Gums such as xanthan gum, tragacanth
  • Carrageenan or calcium carrageenate
  • Carbomer
  • Polyacrylates, clays (both naturally processed bentonite and synthetic clays)
  • Precipitated silica
• Binders/gelling agents/thickeners are generally used for the specific consistency and viscosity of the toothpaste formulation, compared to other cosmetic products which are more liquid
• Coloring agent


  To provide a pleasant appearance
• Coloring agent examples


  • Mica
  • Organic Pigments, such as Blue 1 and Red 33
  • Titanium dioxide (white color)
• Preservative


  • Prevents bacterial growth on binding agent
  • Toothpaste without ionic surfactants are formulated with preservatives (approx. 0.2% w/w) to prevent bacterial growth for long shelf life
• Categories of toothpaste

  • Type I
  • Type II
• Toothpaste rheology


  • Rheological properties
• Manufacturing procedure


  Manufacturing procedure for toothpaste
• Quality parameters


  • Quality parameters for toothpaste
• Efficacy (performance) parameters


  • Efficacy (performance) parameters for toothpaste
• Gelling agent / Thickeners


  • Maintains the pasty consistency of the preparation
  • Develops a cohesive structure with desired rheological properties
  • Hydrophilic colloids that disperse and swell in the water phase
• Gelling agents / Thickeners

  • Synthetic cellulose derivatives (MCMC, MC, HEC)
  • Alginates such as sodium alginate
  • Gums such as xanthan gum, tragacanth
  • Carrageenan or calcium carrageenate
  • Carbomer
  • Polyacrylates, clays (both naturally processed bentonite and synthetic clays)
  • Precipitated silica
• Coloring agents


  • Mica
  • Organic Pigments, such as Blue 1 and Red 33
  • Titanium dioxide (white color)
• Preservative


  • Prevents bacterial growth on binding agent
  • Toothpaste without ionic surfactants are formulated with preservatives (approx. 0.2% w/w) to prevent bacterial growth for long term storage
• Preservatives

  • Sodium benzoate
  • Dichlorphene
  • Ethyl and methyl Paraben
  • Formaldehyde
• Active agents


  To provide therapeutic and/or other special benefits
• Active agents


  • Fluoride compounds like stannous fluoride or sodium fluoride for effective control of dental caries and tooth decay
  • Whitening agents like sodium bicarbonate
• Water


  To assist formulation
• Categories of toothpaste


  • With low abrasion
  • To provide a special "clean feeling" (as claimed for baking soda)
  • For tooth whitening
  • To provide special beneficial ingredients for confidence in using the products
  • To inhibit calculus (tartar) formation
  • For children (special appearance and flavor)
  • To relieve hypertensive teeth
  • With combination of one or more of mentioned types
  • To reduce plaque
  • To freshen breath (mouthwash effect)
  • With natural ingredients