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Sensodyne

Sensodyne is a brand name of toothpaste and mouthwash targeted at people with sensitive teeth.[1] Sensodyne is owned by Haleon and is marketed under the name Shumitect in Japan.[2]

Effectiveness and ingredients

Sensodyne toothpastes work in different ways depending on the product's active ingredient—potassium nitrate, strontium acetate/chloride.

Potassium nitrate

The potassium ion hyperpolarizes[3] the nerve and stops it from firing. The nerve impulses are thus desensitized and there is no pain.

Strontium acetate and strontium chloride

These compounds share a similar chemical structure to calcium. Strontium based toothpastes (acetate and chloride) are therefore able to replace some of the lost calcium and block the exposed tubules in the dentinal tissue. This helps prevent the movement of the fluid within the tubules in response to a sensitivity stimulus that could otherwise cause tooth pain.[4]

Calcium sodium phosphosilicate

Some Sensodyne products contain calcium sodium phosphosilicate (CSPS, Novamin), which appears to help with tooth sensitivity.[5][6] A randomized clinical trial published in 2015 demonstrated that dentifrices containing 5% CSPS may have the potential to mineralize and occlude the dentine in the oral environment.[7][8] Sensodyne products sold in the United States do not contain calcium sodium phosphosilicate (Novamin).

History

Sensodyne was first sold by Block Drug, a Brooklyn, New York-based company established in 1907 by pharmacist Alexander Block.[1]

By 1925, manufacturing dental care products had become the company's focus. Leonard N. Block followed his father into the family business which relocated to Jersey City, New Jersey, in 1938.[9]

In 2000, Block Drug was purchased by Smith Kline Beecham P.L.C.,[10] which became GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE:GSK).[11]

The toothpaste was first marketed in 1961 as a desensitising toothpaste based on a strontium chloride formulation. In 1980, Sensodyne launched a new toothpaste containing potassium nitrate, a mild local sedative.[12]

Sensodyne became a part of Haleon, a British multinational consumer healthcare corporation, in July 2022, following the establishment of Haleon as a separate entity through a corporate spin-off from GSK.[13]

Product counterfeits and recall

In 2007, GlaxoSmithKline tracked down counterfeit producers of Sensodyne after a consumer in Panama noted diethylene glycol, a poisonous ingredient commonly found in antifreeze, on the label of his toothpaste.[14]

On July 15, 2015, GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare announced a recall of certain lots of Sensodyne Repair & Protect toothpaste as well as Sensodyne Complete toothpaste due to the possible presence of wood fragments in the products. The recall also applied to the company's Biotene brand of toothpaste. The recall was a precautionary measure based on a small number of complaints, and no injuries have been reported. The recall applies to products manufactured between 2013 and September 2014, and shipped from June 2013 to April 2015.[15]

See also

External links

References

  1. Andrew Clark. SmithKline to swallow Sensodyne The Guardian, October 7, 2000, retrieved July 20, 2013^
  2. Sensodyne | Our consumer healthcare products | Products | GlaxoSmithKline retrieved 2013-03-17^
  3. Margaret Walsh. Dental Hygiene: Theory and Practice Elsevier Health Sciences, Apr 15, 2014, retrieved November 5, 2020^
  4. N Hughes, T Layer. Evidence for the efficacy of an 8% strontium acetate dentifrice for instant and lasting relief of dentin hypersensitivity. Journal of Clinical Dentistry, 2010^
  5. Nicolas M Freda, Analia Veitz-Keenan. Calcium sodium phosphosilicate had some benefit on dentine hypersensitivity: Question: Is calcium sodium phosphosilicate (CSPS) effective in reducing dentine hypersensitivity (DH) pain response? Evidence-Based Dentistry, March 2016^
  6. Maria Goldie. Potassium nitrate, sodium fluoride, strontium chloride, and NovaMin technologies for dentin hypersensitivity Dentistry IQ, 15 March 2011, retrieved 21 November 2014^
  7. Siân Bodfel Jones, Charles R. Parkinson, Peter Jeffery, Maria Davies, Emma L. Macdonald, Joon Seong, Nicola X. West. A randomised clinical trial investigating calcium sodium phosphosilicate as a dentine mineralising agent in the oral environment Journal of Dentistry, June 2015^
  8. Claire Hall, Stephen Mason, Jonathan Cooke. Exploratory randomised controlled clinical study to evaluate the comparative efficacy of two occluding toothpastes – a 5% calcium sodium phosphosilicate toothpaste and an 8% arginine/calcium carbonate toothpaste – for the longer-term relief of dentine hypersensitivity Journal of Dentistry, May 2017^
  9. Wolfgang Saxon. Leonard Block, 93, Chief of Drug Company, Is Dead The New York Times, 2005-11-12, retrieved 2019-09-30^
  10. Company News; Smithkline to Buy Block Drug for $1.2 Billion The New York Times, 2000-10-10, retrieved 2019-09-30^
  11. Firms Complete Merger of GlaxoSmithKline Los Angeles Times, 2000-12-28, retrieved 2019-09-30^
  12. Anthony Ramirez. All About/Toothpaste; Growth Is Glacial, but the Market Is Big, and So Is the Gross The New York Times, May 13, 1990, retrieved July 20, 2013^
  13. Roula Khalaf. Healthy return proves worth of Haleon spin-out Financial Times, 5 May 2023, retrieved 23 November 2023^
  14. Colgate and Sensodyne, got caught up in the sweep when counterfeiters were found to be selling toothpaste with antifreeze under their names. WALT BOGDANICH. The Everyman Who Exposed Tainted Toothpaste The New York Times, October 1, 2007, retrieved 2 April 2019^
  15. Urgent: Product Recall – Retail Level Smith Drug, 15 July 2015, retrieved 21 August 2015^
  16. United States National Institutes of Health, National Library of Medicine, SENSODYNE REPAIR AND PROTECT – stannous fluoride paste.^