Good for your teeth, bad for your bones?

Regular brushing and flossing are the cornerstones of good oral health. But what if you learned that your toothpaste was good for your teeth, but bad for your bones? That possibility has been raised by a recent study. The cause of this unprecedented finding may be triclosan, an antibacterial agent added to toothpaste to reduce gum infections and improve oral health. However, it may actually be causing more harm than good. Rethinking a popular germ killer Triclosan is an antibacterial agent that’s been around for decades. Not only has it been used in soaps, hand sanitizers, and deodorants, but it’s found its way into cutting boards, credit cards, trash cans, and, yes, toothpaste. Adding triclosan to all of these consumer products allowed marketers to slap “antibacterial” on the packaging and emphasize this feature of the product. Though unproven, the implication is that products containing triclosan (or other antibacterial agents) might prevent serious infections. But for many years, studies done in animals or on human cells in the lab have raised concern about whether all this “cleanliness” might have some unintended — and negative — consequences, including: promoting the development of resistant bacteria (see my previous post about this) interfering with normal hormonal function: in animal studies, triclosan has been linked with abnormal thyroid function and bone mineral density (a measure of bone health and strength) more allergic reactions, perhaps because...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Dental Health Osteoporosis Source Type: blogs