Fluoride Delivered By Oral Care Products Offers Insufficient Cavity Protection

Oral care products like mouthwash and toothpaste don’t deliver enough fluoride to prevent cavities, according to German research that used X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy to measure fluoride coverage on tooth enamel. In fact, the protective fluoride shield provided by oral care products is sometimes only six nanometers thick – 100 times thinner than scientists thought. A layer of fluoride that thin does not effectively fight oral disease, the researchers said. Future research will focus on how thick the optimum fluoride layer should be to protect against tooth decay.