Assessment of fluoride concentrations in commercially available mouthrinses in central Saudi Arabia

To assess the fluoride concentration of different commercially available mouthrinses in central Saudi Arabia, and compare the obtained measurements with label values. This cross-sectional study identified 25 brands of mouthrinses in the markets of Riyadh city between August and September 2013. Nineteen brands of mouthrinses whose labels indicate the percentage of sodium fluoride [NaF] and 6 brands not indicating the fluoride percentage were included in the study. Three bottles of 2 manufacturing batches of each brand were acquired, coded, and analyzed after dilution using specific electrodes for fluoride and an ion analyzer at the College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The average fluoride concentrations in the tested mouthrinses ranged from 8.4 ppm [Voza] to 448.7 ppm [Sensodyne "Pronamel"]. Analysis of variance showed a statistically significant difference [p<0.05] in the fluoride concentration between the studied 25 brands. Almost 60% of the brands' fluoride concentrations were significantly different [mainly lower] from the label value. However, only 5 brands contain fluoride at a concentration not significantly different from the recommended fluoride concentration in daily mouthrinses 0.05% [225 ppm]. Most of the studied commercially available mouthrinses contain topical fluoride at concentrations below the manufacturers' label value, but above the recommended 0.05%

Saudi- corn starch as a tablet excipient compared with imported starch

A locally produced starch from Saudi cultivated corn was evaluated as a tablet excipient and compared with an imported corn starch that is produced internationally and used by a local leading pharmaceutical company. The comparative evaluation included: quality control, physical characterization, viscosity of starch paste, binding properties during granulation and disintegrating power when used in tablet preparation. Theophylline was used as a model drug. The two starches were subjected to evaluation after freeze and spray drying processes. Both starches showed similar particle sizes with poor flowability although the flow properties were in favor of the imported starch. Enhanced flowability was noticed in both starches upon freeze drying and spray drying. Granules prepared by wet granulation using the imported starch were less friable indicating good binding ability compared to the Saudi starch. Interestingly, tablets made from the Saudi starch disintegrated faster and released the drug faster than those made from the imported starch. Thus, it was concluded that although imported starch had more binding capacity than Saudi starch, yet Saudi starch has more disintegrating power and produced immediate drug releasing tablets. These findings may be considered for possible utilization of locally produced Saudi starch as a tablet excipient, in future