Livionex dental gel --a plausible improvement on toothpaste?

  • Thread starter Thread starter rollete
  • Start date Start date
AI Thread Summary
A new dental gel is attempting to disrupt the traditional toothpaste market by utilizing a unique mechanism that enhances the negative charge on tooth surfaces, theoretically making it harder for bacteria to adhere. This gel could significantly reduce plaque buildup and help remineralize enamel without fluoride or hydroxylapatite. However, concerns exist regarding the duration of its effects and the lack of extensive scientific research backing its claims. While some studies suggest that its key ingredient, EDTA, is effective in reducing biofilm on teeth, the overall evidence remains limited. The product is priced at $20 per tube, which is considerably higher than typical ADA-approved toothpaste, and it currently lacks ADA certification. Despite its popularity, especially on platforms like Amazon, a larger randomized controlled trial is necessary to validate its efficacy before consumers invest at this price point. The product may be more beneficial for individuals with gum disease rather than those with healthy teeth. The science behind the gel is intriguing, and the company is reportedly seeking ADA approval.
rollete
Messages
53
Reaction score
31
This dental gel aims to disrupt the toothpaste market with a new mechanism of action. As far as I understand, brushing with it boosts the negative charge on tooth surfaces, making it more difficult for bacteria to attach... even though bacteria are also negatively charged...

Presumably, this should help to significantly reduce plaque build up, which would prevent a huge host of gum/dental problems. At the same time, it seems to help remineralize enamel in the absense of fluoride and hydroxylapatite.

The makers explain this stuff on their website. Here's also a reddit post about this product. Bunch of links to presumably scientific sources.

So what y'all think? Quackery or can this actually work?

It's very intriguing because, in theory, this looks like a potential dental plaque/decay panacea.

One thought: I don't entirely understand for how long the effect of each brushing is supposed to last... But if the negative charging effect of each brushing is immediate (as in, not needing a setting time like a fluoride toothpaste), relatively long-lasting and cumulative over time, wouldn't brushing with this 20 times per day for 3 days render teeth practically as bacteria repellent, or more, as if they had been brushed twice daily for 1 month?

EDIT: I'm not really sure if this is the best forum for this thread. Feel free to move it to a more appropriate venue for theoretical discussion, if necessary.
 
Last edited:
Physics news on Phys.org
The price listed is $USD20 for a single tube. Most ADA accepted dentifrices of similar size are between 10% and 20% of that cost. This does not have ADA certification.

Livionex uses Edathamil - a brand name for EDTA - a chelating agent. The idea is to reduce the biofilm on teeth.
Research is scarce. There are a few papers, two of which specifically measure EDTA dentifrices effects on tooth biofilms.
Example:
A total of 25 patients - this study shows that both regular brushing with a control and an EDTA-based dentifrice BOTH improved clinical aspects of biofilm significantly. EDTA did a better job.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4140948/

This is what I found doing a small literature search. It does not appear that Livionex is harmful. It is very expensive. The site is lots of super-hype for something without much scientific background. It has several pages of home-grown analysis on the two papers. And some unpublished work, too, it seems. A larger RCT trial on about 100+ patients over several months is warranted before someone could rationally spend money at that level on a product with the current minimal science behind the product.

Using the product is strictly up to personal preference. I am moving this thread to General Discussion.
 
  • Like
Likes berkeman and Bandersnatch
Yeah, quite a bit more expensive than the norm. For now, they seem to get away with it judging by the huge popularity of the product on Amazon. Probably more worthwhile to gamble for those managing gum disease. For people with health teeth and gums and with no problem with conventional toothpastes, there's probably not much to gain.

The science behind it is pretty intriguing, though.

I believe they are in the process of getting ADA approval.
 
Just ONCE, I wanted to see a post titled Status Update that was not a blatant, annoying spam post by a new member. So here it is. Today was a good day here in Northern Wisconsin. Fall colors are here, no mosquitos, no deer flies, and mild temperature, so my morning run was unusually nice. Only two meetings today, and both went well. The deer that was road killed just down the road two weeks ago is now fully decomposed, so no more smell. Somebody has a spike buck skull for their...
Back
Top