Reminder: These 3 kinds of toothpaste may have potential cancer risks and are not recommended to buy. Do you have them at home?

"Your toothpaste only sells for a few dollars. It won't cause cancer, right? I think another brand sells for more than 20 yuan. Why is the price difference so far?"

Xiao Yang was shopping on the shelves when he suddenly heard a middle-aged aunt asking the salesperson next to him.

"Auntie, the products that can be sold on the shelves have passed the formal quality inspection. You don't have to worry about any health risks when you use them. The price difference may be related to the ingredients in the toothpaste ."

"Really? Don't you try to make fun of me for selling things. I read the news a few days ago, but it was said that some toothpastes contain carcinogenic ingredients..."

"Auntie, you can rest assured that we sell all big brands. How can big brands contain such harmful ingredients? You can take a look at this 'anti-you' toothpaste. After using it, it will help improve canker sores and prevent stomach cancer ... "

On the market, the price of toothpaste is high and low. Some toothpastes only sell for a few yuan, and some are indeed more than ten or twenty yuan. What is the difference between them?

1. What is the difference between a few pieces vs dozens of pieces?

Toothpaste is an indispensable daily necessities in every household. There are many toothpastes on the market. The price ranges from a few yuan to dozens of yuan. Is the more expensive the toothpaste, the better?

The Beijing Consumers Association has conducted a comparative experiment on 64 toothpaste products from 28 companies, with prices ranging from 1 yuan to 23 yuan. However, the experimental results show that there is no significant difference in product quality .

So what caused the price difference?

Li Xiaojun, director of the Department of Periodontics of Zhejiang Stomatological Hospital, said that the ingredients of toothpastes of the same category are basically similar, and there is no difference in efficacy. The price difference is mainly due to the brand premium and additional functions of publicity, such as adding labels such as hemostasis, anti-allergy, and whitening, which will affect the price .

What is the difference between different types of toothpaste, ingredients and efficacy?

Whitening toothpastes : Whitening toothpastes generally enhance the friction of friction agents, add peroxides, etc. If used improperly, it is easy to damage teeth, gums and other tissues.

Antibacterial and anti-inflammatory toothpaste : Antibacterial ingredients are added to toothpaste, which has a certain auxiliary effect on dental plaque, calculus, bleeding gums, etc., but long-term use can easily lead to an imbalance of oral flora.

Anti-flavor toothpaste : Added aromatics and antibacterial drugs, which are helpful for mild oral odor. But if the odor is heavy, it is recommended to go to the hospital to find out the cause of bad breath.

Hemostatic toothpaste : Added tranexamic acid and other ingredients to reduce gum bleeding, but this ingredient only has hemostatic effect and cannot cure the root cause. It is recommended that bleeding gums should go to the hospital to check whether it is caused by periodontal disease.

Anti-caries and desensitization toothpaste : Adding substances such as sodium fluoride can help relieve tooth pain, but the effect is not lasting.

Second, "anti-you" toothpaste can prevent cancer? These 3 toothpastes may cause cancer

Recently, there is a kind of toothpaste on the market that can fight against stagnation. According to the product introduction, toothpaste has an effect on Helicobacter pylori in the mouth and stomach. One piece can be effective, and each toothpaste costs tens of yuan to more than 100 yuan. Wait.

Let's not talk about whether the "anti-pyloric" toothpaste can really kill Helicobacter pylori. To be clear, infection with Helicobacter pylori does not mean that you will get stomach cancer . Virus infection is only one of the predisposing factors for gastric cancer, and the occurrence of cancer is also related to the family history of tumor and gastric mucosal lesions.

As for whether toothpaste can be "anti-pyloric", Liu Jianxiang, deputy director of the Department of Gastroenterology at Peking University First Hospital, made it clear that it is unlikely to treat Helicobacter pylori in the stomach by brushing teeth .

Because Helicobacter pylori has gastric mucus as a protective layer in the stomach, it needs to suppress gastric acid before it can be effectively eradicated. If toothpaste alone can treat it, then the doctor does not need to spend a long time on medication.

It should be noted that toothpaste cannot be "anti-cancer", but some toothpastes may cause cancer. When you buy toothpaste, you must pay attention to whether it contains the following three ingredients, which may have cancer risks.

1. Triclosan

Triclosan is a low toxicity broad-spectrum antibacterial agent with antibacterial and antifungal effects, which can effectively reduce plaque bacteria, gingival inflammation and bleeding gums.

But a study in Nature Communications found that: in animal experiments, triclosan was found to be associated with enteritis problems. Researchers speculate that prolonged exposure to triclosan at low doses may cause damage to the human gut, thyroid stability, etc.

2. Titanium dioxide

Titanium dioxide is a white substance that sticks to teeth, making them look white. However, the French national agricultural graduate student found that in animal experiments, long-term exposure to titanium dioxide may cause precancerous lesions of the intestinal mucosa .

3. Benzalkonium Chloride

Benzalkonium chloride is used in toothpaste as an antibacterial agent, but studies have found that these antibacterial compounds can disrupt the intestinal flora, which is not conducive to the balance in the intestinal tract. In animal experiments, prolonged exposure to low doses of benzalkonium chloride can increase the risk of enteritis and related colon tumors.

In addition, Dr. Linda Straub Bruce, an American dental expert, reminded that ingredients such as sodium lauryl sulfate, dyes, flavoring agents, alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, and hydrated silica should be avoided when buying toothpaste . These ingredients will more or less cause irritation to the mouth and respiratory tract, but are not conducive to oral health.

3. Is it necessary to change toothpaste often? Pay attention to 2 points when choosing toothpaste

Are you someone who wears a toothpaste for a long time, or the type that likes to change toothpaste frequently? There are rumors that changing toothpaste brands and styles frequently can reduce drug resistance. Is this statement reasonable?

At present, toothpastes on the market are mainly divided into ordinary toothpastes and functional toothpastes. The role of ordinary toothpaste is to clean , use abrasives, and use toothbrush to clean enamel. Since it does not contain drugs, there is no drug resistance problem.

The efficacy-type toothpaste adds certain active ingredients to the ordinary toothpaste, but long-term use may also cause some oral problems. Therefore, functional toothpaste should be replaced regularly to prevent excessive intake of added ingredients . When choosing a toothpaste, pay attention to the following two ingredients:

• Fluorine content

For the general population, choosing fluoride toothpaste can reduce the risk of dental caries by 40% . But for preschool children, considering that children may ingest toothpaste by mistake, it needs to be used with the help of parents.

• friction agent

When choosing toothpaste, pay attention to the quality of the abrasive. According to the particle size of the abrasive, aluminum hydroxide < calcium hydrogen phosphate < silicon dioxide < calcium carbonate , finer particles will cause less damage to the tooth surface, so it is recommended that you prefer hydroxide aluminum.

We brush our teeth every day, but are you really brushing the right teeth?

References:

[1] "What is the difference between 5 and 25 toothpastes? The truth may surprise you". Life Times. 2017-10-17

[2] "Attention! The wrong choice of toothpaste may also cause cancer, and those containing these 7 ingredients should be thrown away immediately! 》. Three Gorges Evening News. 2016-04-21

[3] "National Tooth Love Day: Will toothpaste develop "resistance"? Change frequently? The truth is...". Popular Science China. 2022-09-20

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