5 Reasons Natural Toothpaste Is NOT Recommended

In the past one to two decades, natural toothpaste or herbal toothpaste have become more popular in the market. Many oral products consumers are switching to them because they are perceived to be “healthier” than the regular (non-natural) toothpaste.

Some of the ingredients in the regular toothpaste are indeed harmful to the body when swallowed above a certain amount. (click here to read the article about the Harmful Effects of Swallowing Toothpaste.) To solve this problem, numerous scientific studies have been carried out to ensure their safety for brushing. These ingredients have been studied and regulated by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) over the decades. Scientists have proved them to be effective in preventing tooth decay and gum diseases. If you are interested in knowing the ingredients in regular toothpaste, click here to read more.

Since herbal toothpaste is made of natural products that are generally safe, do the dentists recommend natural toothpaste to be used by public?

Do Dentists Recommend Natural Toothpaste?

Researchers found that natural toothpaste is still not as effective as the regular toothpaste in many ways. In fact, it lacks a very important agent, fluoride, which strengthens the teeth against tooth decay. Therefore, dentists generally do not recommend natural toothpaste if they do not contain fluoride.

In addition to that, a toothpaste product must have fluoride in it to earn the American Dental Association (ADA) seal of acceptance, which is like a certificate that shows the product has met the requirements for safety and efficacy.

To elaborate further, below are the 5 main reasons why dentists do not generally recommend natural toothpaste based on evidence.

Reason #1: Natural toothpaste without fluoride is less effective in preventing tooth decay

Tooth decay happens when the bacteria on the tooth surface produce acids that corrode the tooth. Fluoride makes the tooth less susceptible to acid attack when it is incorporated onto tooth surface. Numerous studies have shown that it can reduce the chance of decay from developing [4].

Besides, fluoride can reverse the tooth decay process at the initial stage. It does that by restoring the lost minerals (calcium and phosphate) into the tooth through the remineralization process.

Natural Toothpaste

Natural toothpaste that does not contain fluoride lacks the properties that fluoride offers. Even though some herbal ingredients can eliminate the bacteria that cause tooth decay, but it was shown only in the laboratory studies. For example, propolis, tea tree, Aloe vera, and papain can kill the bacteria that is responsible for tooth decay when performed in the laboratory settings [5,14]. That does not mean that it can reduce the chance of decay when used in human’s mouth.

Until now, there is no strong evidence that shows natural toothpaste can prevent tooth decay. More studies on human will be needed to prove that it can be beneficial for us.

Reason #2: Natural toothpaste may be just as effective as regular toothpaste in preventing gum disease

Certain herbals like clove essential oil, coconut essential oil, and ginger have been proved to have anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties [6,18]. These effects would be desirable when it comes to treating gum disease which is essentially the inflammation of gum caused by bacteria in the dental plaque (sticky film that attached on the tooth).

Interestingly, researchers have found that the natural toothpaste containing these herbals are effective in killing the bacteria, reducing dental plaque accumulation and gum inflammation. Together, it gives a satisfactory outcome in treating gum disease, which could be as effective as the established regular toothpaste.

Comparison between Natural Toothpaste and Regular Toothpaste

It sounds like a plus point for natural toothpaste. However, when it is compared with the regular toothpaste, they both are equally effective against gum disease. It is acceptable to say that natural toothpaste does not offer a better advantage in treating gum disease than regular toothpaste.

Natural toothpaste also lacks one other important function, which is to prevent tooth decay. This may be the reason why dentists are still not recommending the usage of natural toothpaste.

Reason #3: Lack of high-quality conclusive data about the effectiveness

The reality of the scientific world is that it takes tremendous effort and time to prove the safety and benefit of the studied material. Herbals have started to gain increasing attention in the scientific world one to two decades ago. The available data is still not enough to show that they are really effective in treating tooth decay and gum disease.

Most of the herbals in the natural toothpaste are studied in the laboratory or at animal stage [7,17]. This is unlike the regular toothpaste in which the ingredients have been studied long and proven effective in human trials.

For example, herbals like ginger, honey and chocolate have been shown to promote remineralization of the tooth in the laboratory [9,10]. Aloe vera, papain, tea tree and propolis were able to reduce the growth of bacteria that cause tooth decay in the laboratory [5,14]. There are scarce studies that are carried on human.

It can be said that the current scientific evidence of natural toothpaste is not mature. A long term study on human would be valuable to know the effects of herbals on the oral health thoroughly.

Reason #4: The scientific data about its effectiveness is inconsistent

With the current available studies of herbal toothpaste, the researchers found that the results from many of these studies are inconsistent [2,4]. Some studies showed that natural toothpaste is superior to regular toothpaste [7,12] but other studies showed the opposite [11].

There are not enough good-quality studies of natural toothpaste to conclude its effectiveness in preventing tooth decay and gum diseases.

Reason #5: Some natural products have not been studied enough to understand its effect on general health

It is a common understanding that herbals or natural products tend to be healthier than man-made products. Furthermore, herbals like ginger, honey, propolis, miswak, Aloe vera, charcoal and essential oils have been shown beneficial in the laboratory and animal studies only.

The tendency to go “natural” has fueled an increasing demand for such products. Many consumers are opting for natural products because they carry no side effects, use no animal products, are vegan friendly and contain no added artificial colors or flavors. The consumers who use herbal products often view these products as being safer than man-made products.

However, there are reports of allergic reactions resulting from the use of herbal and regular toothpaste. The research on the long term side effects of natural ingredients is still lacking [2]. Therefore, it may not be true to say that all herbal products are safe for oral use.

Can I still use Natural Toothpaste?

Yes, you can. Even though regular toothpaste is generally more recommended than natural toothpaste, it does not mean that by using natural toothpaste it can lead to tooth decay or gum diseases. This is because the reasons for oral diseases to happen are more than just the type of toothpaste. For example,

• the frequency of brushing and brushing technique,
• the eating habits,
• the consumption of sugary food and refined carbohydrates,
• the availability of fluoride from other sources.

The mentioned examples are the important factors that contribute to the risk of getting tooth decay.

Furthermore, some herbal toothpaste have shown promising result in combating tooth decay when tested in the laboratory. I believe that the researchers and manufacturers are constantly improving the formulation of herbal toothpaste so that it can be comparative to or better than regular toothpaste.

Summary

Even though the current scientific evidence is not supportive of the general use of herbal toothpaste, it does not mean that you should not use these natural products. It is still up to the consumer preferences to decide which toothpaste to buy.

All being said, at the current time, dentists are less likely to recommend natural toothpaste because of the reasons mentioned above.

Reference

1. Karadağlıoğlu Ö, Ulusoy N, Başer K, Hanoğlu A, Şık İ. Antibacterial Activities of Herbal Toothpastes Combined with Essential Oils against Streptococcus mutans. Pathogens. 2019;8(1):20.
2. Biria M, Rezvani Y, Haeri A, Parhiz Z, Eslami Amirabadi N, Eftekhar L. Evaluation of Antiplaque Efficacy of a Propolis-Based Herbal Toothpaste: A Single-Blind Parallel Clinical Trail. Journal of Islamic Dental Association of IRAN. 2019;31(3):126-131.
3. Shanmugapriya R, Arunmozhi U, Kadhiresan R, Sabitha S, Anirudhya R, Sujatha G. Comparison of antiplaque effectiveness of herbal toothpaste: A randomized triple-blinded cross-over clinical trial. AYU (An international quarterly journal of research in Ayurveda). 2019;40(2):109.
4. Nilesh Arjun T, Gouraha A, Maheshwari A, Chavan K. Efficacy of Herbal Dentifrice in the Reduction of Dental Caries Compared Against Commercially Available Fluoride Containing Dentifrice: An Experimental Trial. World Journal Of Pharmacy And Pharmaceutical Sciences. 2015;4(04):800-807.
5. Philip N. State of the Art Enamel Remineralization Systems: The Next Frontier in Caries Management. Caries Research. 2018;53(3):284-295.
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7. Göçmen G, Yanıkoğlu F, Tagtekin D. Remineralization Potential of Herbal Mixtures An In Situ Study. Paripex – Indian Journal Of Research. 2016;5(2).
8. Janakiram C, Venkitachalam R, Fontelo P, Iafolla T, Dye B. Effectiveness of herbal oral care products in reducing dental plaque & gingivitis – a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies. 2020;20(1).
9. Mehta V, Shetiya S, Kakodkar P, Janakiram C, Rizwan S. Efficacy of herbal dentifrice on the prevention of plaque and gingivitis as compared to conventional dentifrice: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Indian Society of Periodontology. 2018;22(5):379.
10. Debnath S, Sharma A, Taranath M, Tatikonda A, Chauhan V, Chaurasia V. Effects of herbal and non-herbal toothpastes on plaque and gingivitis: A clinical comparative study. Journal of International Society of Preventive and Community Dentistry. 2014;4(5):126.
11. Gupta R, Ingle N, Kaur N, Yadav P, Ingle E, Charania Z. Effectiveness of herbal and nonherbal fluoridated toothpaste on plaque and gingivitis: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of Indian Association of Public Health Dentistry. 2015;13(3):218.