Family: Household chemicals & care
Fluoride-free toothpaste
Trials of hydroxyapatite paste kept the difference inside the preset margin — but there are two of them, and they are small.
Overview
Less is known about fluoride-free toothpaste, and that is the main thing worth saying about it. A double-blind trial in 207 children over 336 days tested not superiority but non-inferiority — and confirmed it: the difference in the share of children with an increase in lesions was -1.4% against a set margin of 20%. A second, crossover trial in 30 adults with enamel blocks worn in the mouth found no difference in remineralisation. Both works have limits: the first ran for a year and covered primary teeth; the second was on enamel blocks rather than caries in the mouth, and compared against a 500 ppm paste — a third of the usual adult strength. No professional-body recommendation equivalent to the one given for fluoride was found for fluoride-free paste.
Quality indicators
- State of the evidence
Two trials, both with caveats on duration and design
More detail
The year-long trial covered children primary teeth; the fourteen-day one ran on enamel blocks worn by adults, measuring remineralisation of a block rather than the course of caries. The platform found no systematic review for fluoride-free paste.
Health-related indicators
- What the research shows
In two trials the difference stayed inside the preset margin, but both are small
More detail
A trial in 207 children over 336 days tested non-inferiority and confirmed it: the difference in the share of children with an increase in lesions was -1.4% against a margin of 20%. A crossover trial in 30 adults found no difference in remineralisation between the pastes. That is two trials against a systematic review — the difference is not only in the conclusion but in the weight of evidence.
Regulatory notes
- What the professional body says
No equivalent recommendation was found
Source needed
Why there is no source
The source is missing by the nature of the case: no professional-body recommendation equivalent to the one given for fluoride toothpaste was found for fluoride-free paste. That does not mean the body is against it — it means the body has stated no separate position, and the platform will not present silence as either approval or prohibition.
What is nearby
Sources and evidence
Sources by kind of evidence
REVIEWSystematic review1
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