Remember those toothpaste commercials? "Look, Mom, only one cavity!" Now it's hard to find a toothpaste without flouride. But they don't work if you don't brush.
The inventor of stannous flouride toothpaste, Dr. Joseph C. Muhler, spoke to the Southern Arizona Dental Society 40 years ago and recommended mass "brush-ins" in schools to teach children to brush their teeth. He also said that dentists often had to outwit their patients who neglect their teeth.
From the Arizona Daily Star April 7, 1970:
Proposal For Fewer Cavities Explained
Mass 'Brush-Ins' Advised By Toothpaste Inventor
By Marilyn Drago
Star Medical Editor
A mass "brush-in" may be coming for Arizona schoolchildren if the state's dentists follow a recommendation made yesterday by the inventor of stannous flouride toothpaste.
Dr. Joseph C. Muhler, who holds a doctorate in dentistry and in chemistry, told members of the Southern Arizona Dental Society that professionally supervised brush-ins can cause a reduction in new cavities of up to 80 per cent.
Muhler, a professor of preventive dentistry at Indiana University School of Dentistry, said the brush-in program, with a special stannous flouride toothpaste, has been used for the past five years in Indiana.
"We just get all the kids together in a gym or someplace like that, have them practice with water, then give them the special paste. The results have been remarkable. Liquid applications in a dentist's office are fine, but so very few youngsters ever get to a dentist."
One Indiana inner-city study showed that 83 per cent of the schoolchildren didn't own a toothbrush, he said. Of those who did brush their teeth, 16 per cent shared the brush with other family members.
Dr. Thomas Bradel, president-elect of the Arizona State Dental Assn., said in an interview that the association would form a committee to study Muhler's technique for mass brush-ins and would consider the feasibility of adopting the program in Arizona.
Muhler, who developed the formula for stabilizing flouride in a dentifrice, is called "Dr. Crest" by his colleagues, but he said he disliked the nickname.
"Three stannous flouride toothpastes are on the market," he said. "They are Crest, Fact and Hue. Colgate MFP is effective in preventing new cavities, but it doesn't contain the stannous, or tin, part, which stops or slows down the progress of existing cavities."
All four toothpastes are approved by the American Dental Assn.
The mass brush-in technique was developed to reach all children, the dentist explained. A special toothpaste containing stannous flouride, called a "treatment paste," is used in the program. The paste is not sold to the public but will be available to dentists soon, he said.
To make the treatment paste even more effective when used in dental offices, Muhler has developed a tiny plastic cup impregnated with flourides and zirconium. The cup, powered by a high speed motor, forces the paste into the enamel of the tooth, increasing the protective effect. Paste-treated dental floss is used also.
"It may take us several years," Muhler said, "but we hope to develop a cheap toothbrush to be used at home which will be almost as effective as the plastic polishing cup."
Muhler's research is responsible for another protective product soon to be available to dentists.
"All dentists know that some amalgam (silver) fillings decay right around the filling, no matter what you do. There is a new, anti-cavity amalgam ready now, which contains stannous flouride and zirconium silicate. The chemicals leach into the tooth over a very long period, considerably reducing the number of new cavities."
Muhler said his research was based on the idea that dentists often must outwit their patients.
"We have to develop effective techniques and materials for the dentists," he said, "which work in spite of the patients' neglect of their teeth."
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