ABSTRACT
Siempre es importante el poder llevar a cabo algún tipo de reconocimiento a las personas involucradas en haber dejado aun el más mínimo tipo de legado en nuestra profesión. A título muy personal, la utilización de los fluoruros y, muy en especial su incorporación en la formulación de pastas dentales, ha sido el factor más importante y preponderante en la disminución del índice de riesgo de caries dental en las actuales generaciones. El presente artículo pretende hacer una narración histórica sobre los eventos más sobresalientes por los que pasó el trío de científicos en las Escuelas de Química y de Odontología de la Universidad de Indiana en sus respectivos campus de Bloomington e Indianápolis para lograr el desarrollo de la primera pasta dental con fluoruro. Más que un recuento histórico, la intención principal de este escrito es hacer una semblanza y un reconocimiento al trabajo del bioquímico Harry Day, quién trabajaba en su campo especializado sobre el valor nutricional de algunos elementos y que, junto con el trabajo del dentista Joseph C. Muhler y del especialista en Química inorgánica William Nebergall, logró producir un prototipo de pasta dental en el año de 1952 y que después de los excelentes resultados de los estudios clínicos liderados por Muhler tanto en niños como en adultos, llamaron la atención de Procter and Gamble para poder lanzar al mercado la primera pasta dental con Fluoristán, a la que se llamó Crest (AU)
It is always important to express some type of acknowledgement to people that were involved on leaving any form of legacy in our profession. As a personal view, the use of fluorides and specially the implementation of it in the formulation of toothpastes have been the key and preponderant factor in the decrease on the risk of dental caries in the current generations. This article pretends to be a historic narrative of the remarkable events in the group of the three scientists of the School of Chemistry and the School of Dentistry at both campuses of Bloomington and Indianapolis of Indiana University to fulfill the goal on the development of the first fluoridated toothpaste. More than a historical narrative, the main intention of this paper is to make a resemblance and an acknowledgement to the work of Biochemist Harry Day, who worked in his field of expertise on the nutrimental value of certain trace elements and that together with the work by dentist Joseph C. Muhler and the specialist in Inorganic Chemistry William Nebergall, could produced in year 1952 a prototype of a toothpaste that after several clinical studies in children and adults conducted by Muhler showed excellent results on caries prevention, and that took the attention of Procter and Gamble to be able to put on the market the first toothpaste with Fluoristan that was called Crest (AU)
Subject(s)
History, 19th Century , History, 20th Century , Toothpastes/analysis , Toothpastes/history , Fluorides , History of Dentistry , United States , Oral Health , Academies and Institutes/historyABSTRACT
This literature review reports the history and the current market of oral home-care products. It provides information extending from the products used by our ancestors to those currently available, as well as on the changes in the supply and consumption of these products. Although the scientific knowledge about oral diseases has improved greatly in recent years, our ancestors had already been concerned with cleaning their teeth. A variety of rudimentary products and devices were used since before recorded history, like chewing sticks, tree twigs, bird feathers, animal bones, tooth powder and home-made mouth rinses. Today, due to technological improvements of the cosmetic industry and market competition, home-use oral care products available in the marketplace offer a great variety of options. An increase in the consumption of oral care products has been observed in the last decades. Estimates show that Latin America observed a 12 percent increase in hygiene and beauty products sales between 2002 and 2003, whereas the observed global rate was approximately 2 percent. A significant increase in the per capita consumption of toothpaste, toothbrush, mouthrinse and dental floss has been estimated from 1992 to 2002, respectively at rates of 38.3 percent, 138.3 percent, 618.8 percent and 177.2 percent. Pertaining to this increased supply and consumption of oral care products, some related questions remain unanswered, like the occurrence of changes in disease behavior due to the use of new compounds, their actual efficacy and correct indications, and the extent of the benefits to oral health derived from consuming more products.