Latest news with #Toothpaste
Sky News
3 hours ago
- Health
- Sky News
Toothpaste made with hair naturally repairs tooth enamel, scientists discover
Toothpaste made with hair could repair damaged teeth and stop the early stages of decay, a new study has found. Scientists at King's College London discovered keratin, a protein found in hair, skin and wool that is often used in reparative shampoos, can also help with teeth. "We think this is a game changer, an industry-mover to introduce keratin as an actual product within our daily use to protect and heal your tooth enamel without even realising," Dr Sherif Elsharkawy, from King's Faculty of Dentistry, Oral & Craniofacial Sciences, told Sky News. "If you have a micro crack or a very small defect, it would heal itself without you even realising." Many tooth problems come from damaged enamel, which does not regenerate - once it is lost, it is gone forever. When the keratin mixes with the minerals in saliva, it produces a protective coating to mimic the structure and function of natural enamel. Fluoride toothpastes and fluoride added to drinking water are currently relied on to slow enamel erosion but keratin-based treatments were found to stop it completely. "Keratin offers a transformative alternative to current dental treatments," said Sara Gamea, PhD researcher at King's College London and first author of the study. The treatment could be through a daily toothpaste or as a professionally applied gel, similar to nail varnish, in more extreme cases. It could be made available for the public in two to three years, according to the scientists, and is seen as a more environmentally-friendly alternative to traditional dental restoration. The test products developed at King's College were made from wool, but in the future, Dr Elsharkawy said people could even collect their own hair to extract keratin. However, for the moment, the King's team is "going with sheep's wool because it's highly abundant and it's a biowaste, it's sustainable and it's good for the farmers." The toothpaste will look and feel just like standard fluoride paste, with a minty flavour and foaming texture but instead contain enough keratin for daily use. "The aim is that we want this to be affordable and to reach the public," said Dr Elsharkawy. "We don't think this is going to be a premium product - we would like to get everyone to be able to access it."
BBC News
6 days ago
- Health
- BBC News
Toothpaste made from hair could stop decay, KCL scientists say
Toothpaste made from your own hair could help repair and protect damaged teeth, researchers from King's College London (KCL) found that keratin - a protein found in hair, skin and wool - can repair tooth enamel and stop early stages of research revealed that keratin produces a protective coating that mimics the structure and function of natural enamel when it comes into contact with minerals in Gamea, PhD researcher at KCL and first author of the study, said: "Keratin offers a transformative alternative to current dental treatments." She added: "This technology bridges the gap between biology and dentistry, providing an eco-friendly biomaterial that mirrors natural processes."Not only is it sustainably sourced from biological waste materials like hair and skin, it also eliminates the need for traditional plastic resins, commonly used in restorative dentistry, which are toxic and less durable."In their study, published in Advanced Healthcare Materials, the scientists extracted keratin from wool. They discovered that when keratin is applied to the tooth surface and comes into contact with the minerals naturally present in saliva, it forms a highly organised, crystal-like scaffold that mimics the structure and function of natural time, this scaffold continues to attract calcium and phosphate ions, leading to the growth of a protective enamel-like coating around the tooth, according to foods and drinks, poor oral hygiene and ageing all contribute to enamel erosion and decay, leading to tooth sensitivity, pain and eventually tooth loss. Dr Sherif Elsharkawy, senior author and consultant in prosthodontics at KCL, said: "Unlike bones and hair, enamel does not regenerate, once it is lost, it's gone forever."We are entering an exciting era where biotechnology allows us to not just treat symptoms but restore biological function using the body's own materials. "With further development and the right industry partnerships, we may soon be growing stronger, healthier smiles from something as simple as a haircut."
