Fluoride content and its potential availability in dentifrice tablets available on the Dutch market - a laboratory assessment.

Dentifrice tablets are increasingly presented as a more sustainable alternative to regular toothpastes, yet evidence regarding their efficacy is still limited. This study aimed to evaluate the quality of dentifrice tablets available on the Dutch market with respect to their total fluoride content and their potentially available fluoride. Twenty types of dentifrice tablets were analyzed using two different techniques an ion selective electrode and gas-liquid chromatography. Prior to analysis, two criteria were defined;1) total content of fluoride should be >80% of the content the manufacturer claimed and 2) the potentially available fluoride content should be ≥ 80% of the measured total fluoride content. Nine of the twenty tablets met both criteria. Moreover, most tablets had a lower weight than the amount of toothpaste recommended by the Dutch Ivory Cross. This variation in quality, combined with the relatively lower mass of dentifrice tablets raises concerns regarding the reliability of dentifrice tablets for caries prevention. Although these tablets were purchased on the Dutch market, the results of this study suggest that dentifrice tablets in general may lack sufficient quality control.