Choice of toothpaste for the elderly: an in vitro study

Area of Science:

• Oral Health
• Biomaterials Science
• Geriatric Dentistry

Background:

• Elderly individuals often experience hyposalivation and dental root exposure, necessitating specialized oral care products.
• Toothpaste characteristics, such as abrasiveness and cytotoxicity, are critical for this demographic.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the cytotoxicity and dentin wear potential of seven different toothpastes.
• To identify toothpastes suitable for elderly patients with specific oral health needs.

Main Methods:

• Dentin wear was assessed using a brushing machine on root dentin specimens subjected to 20,000 cycles.
• Cytotoxicity was evaluated using fibroblast cell cultures exposed to toothpaste-conditioned media and MTT assay.
• Statistical analysis involved ANOVA and Tukey's test to compare groups.

Main Results:

• The control group (distilled water) exhibited minimal dentin surface loss (SL).
• Sensodyne (SEN) showed minimal dentin wear, comparable to the control, and high cell viability (60-89%).
• Oral B Pro Health (OBPH) caused significant dentin wear, and all other tested toothpastes (except SEN) demonstrated high cytotoxicity (cell viability <50%).

Conclusions:

• Only one tested toothpaste (Sensodyne) demonstrated desirable characteristics for the elderly, with low cytotoxicity and low-abrasive potential.
• Most tested toothpastes pose a risk of cytotoxicity and significant dentin wear for vulnerable elderly populations.
• The findings highlight the importance of selecting appropriate toothpaste formulations for geriatric oral care.