Dental professionals caring for patients with adverse effects caused by their toothpaste will find it easier to recommend a suitable alternative using a new online resource.

The UK Medicines Information Service has produced a document listing toothpastes widely available in the UK and the excipients they contain. Toothpastes contain a large number of excipients including fluoride, abrasives, detergents, binding agents, humectants, preservatives, colouring agents, antiseptics and flavourings. Some of these excipients, most commonly flavourings, cause adverse oral reactions such as cheilitis (due to allergic or irritant contact dermatitis), peri-oral eczema, stomatitis, lichenoid reactions, burning mouth syndrome, loss of taste, and systemic adverse effects such as anaphylaxis and rhinitis. Tartar-control toothpastes containing pyrophosphates can be a particular problem as they contain higher concentrations of flavourings and detergents.

For patients who experience adverse effects thought to be due to their toothpaste, changing to another product that does not contain the suspected excipient can completely resolve symptoms within a few weeks or months.

'The document will be updated every two years and is freely available on the NHS Evidence and UK Medicines Information website,' explained Joanne McEntee, Medicines Information Pharmacist at the North West Regional Medicines Information Centre in Liverpool.

To go straight to the document, visit www.nelm.nhs.uk/en/NeLM-Area/Evidence/Medicines-Q--A/What-are-the-excipients-in-toothpastes/