Short-term effects of different toothpaste formulations on total salivary calcium: A randomized crossover study
- 1Chair of Operative and Preventive Dentistry, Witten/Herdecke University, Witten, Germany
- 2Division of Functional Genomics, Chair of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, ZBAF, Witten/Herdecke University, Witten, Germany
Abstract
Objectives: Dental calculus formation can be inhibited by toothpastes containing pyrophosphate, which chelates calcium ions and prevents hydroxyapatite crystal formation. Although pyrophosphate may also influence salivary calcium availability, the short-term effects of commercially available toothpaste formulations on salivary calcium concentrations remain insufficiently characterized. This study investigated and compared the short-term effects of three fluoride toothpastes on salivary calcium concentration. Methods: A randomized, three-treatment, three-period crossover trial was conducted in 48 healthy volunteers. The participants used three commercially available sodium fluoride toothpastes in randomized order: a formulation containing methyl vinyl ether/maleic acid copolymer, PVM/MA copolymer (Sensodyne), a formulation containing pyrophosphate and zinc (Dentalux), and a formulation containing sodium bicarbonate (Parodontax). Treatment periods were separated by a 2-day washout. Unstimulated saliva was collected at baseline (T0), immediately after brushing (T1), 30 min (T2), and 60 min (T3). Salivary calcium concentrations were quantified using a colorimetric assay. Data were analysed using linear mixed-effects models with toothpaste formulation, measurement time, treatment sequence, and the toothpaste-by-time interaction as fixed effects and participant as a random effect. Results: Significant effects were observed for toothpaste formulation (F(2,103.35)=42.31, P < 0.001), measurement time (F(3,141)=39.78, P < 0.001), and the toothpaste-by-time interaction (F(6,141)=23.91, P < 0.001), whereas treatment sequence had no significant effect (P = 0.927). Compared with Dentalux® and Sensodyne®, Parodontax® resulted in significantly lower salivary calcium concentrations (both Bonferroni-adjusted P < 0.001), immediately after brushing (T1). The differences decreased after 30 min and were no longer significant after 60 min. No significant differences were observed between Dentalux® and Sensodyne® at any time point. Conclusions: Commercially available fluoride toothpastes produced different short-term effects on the salivary calcium concentration, with the greatest differences occurring immediately after brushing. Because the products differed in terms of multiple formulation ingredients, the findings reflect product-level effects rather than ingredient-specific effects. Further multicentre studies are warranted to confirm these findings and evaluate their clinical relevance.
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BibTeX
@article{aminy2026shortterm,
title = {{Short-term effects of different toothpaste formulations on total salivary calcium: A randomized crossover study}},
author = {Lina Aminy and Mozhgan Bizhang and Claudia Klinger and Stefan Zimmer and Andreas Savelsbergh},
journal = {PLOS One},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0358715},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0358715},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Short-term effects of different toothpaste formulations on total salivary calcium: A randomized crossover study
AU - Lina Aminy
AU - Mozhgan Bizhang
AU - Claudia Klinger
AU - Stefan Zimmer
AU - Andreas Savelsbergh
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/17
JO - PLOS One
DO - 10.1371/journal.pone.0358715
UR - https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0358715
AB - Objectives: Dental calculus formation can be inhibited by toothpastes containing pyrophosphate, which chelates calcium ions and prevents hydroxyapatite crystal formation. Although pyrophosphate may also influence salivary calcium availability, the short-term effects of commercially available toothpaste formulations on salivary calcium concentrations remain insufficiently characterized. This study investigated and compared the short-term effects of three fluoride toothpastes on salivary calcium concentration. Methods: A randomized, three-treatment, three-period crossover trial was conducted in 48 healthy volunteers. The participants used three commercially available sodium fluoride toothpastes in randomized order: a formulation containing methyl vinyl ether/maleic acid copolymer, PVM/MA copolymer (Sensodyne), a formulation containing pyrophosphate and zinc (Dentalux), and a formulation containing sodium bicarbonate (Parodontax). Treatment periods were separated by a 2-day washout. Unstimulated saliva was collected at baseline (T0), immediately after brushing (T1), 30 min (T2), and 60 min (T3). Salivary calcium concentrations were quantified using a colorimetric assay. Data were analysed using linear mixed-effects models with toothpaste formulation, measurement time, treatment sequence, and the toothpaste-by-time interaction as fixed effects and participant as a random effect. Results: Significant effects were observed for toothpaste formulation (F(2,103.35)=42.31, P < 0.001), measurement time (F(3,141)=39.78, P < 0.001), and the toothpaste-by-time interaction (F(6,141)=23.91, P < 0.001), whereas treatment sequence had no significant effect (P = 0.927). Compared with Dentalux® and Sensodyne®, Parodontax® resulted in significantly lower salivary calcium concentrations (both Bonferroni-adjusted P < 0.001), immediately after brushing (T1). The differences decreased after 30 min and were no longer significant after 60 min. No significant differences were observed between Dentalux® and Sensodyne® at any time point. Conclusions: Commercially available fluoride toothpastes produced different short-term effects on the salivary calcium concentration, with the greatest differences occurring immediately after brushing. Because the products differed in terms of multiple formulation ingredients, the findings reflect product-level effects rather than ingredient-specific effects. Further multicentre studies are warranted to confirm these findings and evaluate their clinical relevance.
SN - 1932-6203
ER -