[What is the functioning of tin in stannous fluoride?].

Stannous fluoride is one of the first fluoride compounds that were added to dentifrices. Besides the well-known effect of fluoride, the presence of tin could also have an effect on dental health by its anti-microbial activity and the ability to form insoluble metal salts. The functioning of stannous fluoride has been studied extensively in many scientific publications. On the basis of the available literature, the use of stannous fluoride instead of sodium fluoride could be advantageous in case of gingivitis, halitosis, dentine hypersensitivity, or erosion. The effects that were found are statistically significant, albeit rather small, which makes it harder to predict the actual gain in dental health or the clinical relevance for an individual patient.