How much Fluoride is in there

1
How much Fluoride is in there?

• Tobi Maser
• Quantitative Analysis
• December 7, 1999

2

• 1st toothpaste to be cleared by the FDA
• Very effective against cavities, plaque and
  gingivitis
• dental experts say, it is the most significant
  advancement since the introduction of FLUORIDE
• ingredients FLOURIDE and antibacterial
  ingredient Triclosan

3
Facts about Fluoride

• Obtained in 2 forms topical and systematic
• Topical strengthens teeth already in the mouth,
  provides protection on the tooth surface
  (toothpaste, mouthrinses, gels)
• Systematic ingested in the body and become
  incorporated in forming tooth structures (water,
  certain foods, dietary fluoride supplements)

4
The Harms of Fluoride

• Fluoride is a carcinogen
• Fluoride increases Hip Fractures
• Fluoride increases infertility
• Fluoride increases fluorosis (spots and
  discoloring of teeth)

5
Prevention of tooth decay with Fluoride

• Reduces solubility of enamel in acid
• exerts an influence directly on dental plaque
• promotes remineralization of tooth enamel in
  areas that have been demineralized by acids

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What type of experiment was performed?

• Following a procedure done by Truman S. Light and
  Carleton C. Cappuccino
• Determine the amount of fluoride in toothpaste by
  using an ion-selective electrode
• Type of electrode Fluoride Ion-Selective
  Electrode

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So heres what I did...

• Made TISAB with Sodium Chloride, Acetate Acid,
  Sodium Acetate, and Sodium Citrate
• In 100mL volumetric flasks, made various stock
  solutions of fluoride by using the TISAB
• 100mL volumetric flask put 0.4g toothpaste and
  50mL TISAB and boiled 2minutes
• Filled the rest of flask with distilled water
• Used ion selective electrode and measured mV of
  all the solutions

8
Results for Colgate Total

• The toothpaste has a value x4.10985 and
  y-0.057032

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So how much was really in there?

• My calculations showed that there was 0.345
  Fluoride in Colgate Total Fresh Stripe

• Colgate Total Fresh Stripe truly contains 0.24
  Sodium Fluoride which is translated into 1,100ppm
  of Fluoride (0.14)

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What problems could have occurred...

• The ion selective electrode may have misread the
  millivolts
• I did not make enough stock solutions to get an
  accurate x value for the toothpaste
• I did not just isolate the fluoride, maybe sodium
  was still there

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Changes Made

• Tested a couple of brands of toothpaste
• Made more stock solutions to get a better trend
  line
• Used a different ion electrode if it happened to
  be available (Orion Model 94-09) instead of Lab
  Works Instrument

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In conclusion

• Fluoride in toothpaste is very small
• Water fluoridation is becoming more popular and
  more of an issue
• Too much fluoride intake can be harmful
• Fluoride is necessary to strengthen bones,
  especially teeth, therefore, it can not be
  eliminated from ones diet completely

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REFERENCES

• Light, Truman, and Carleton Cappuccino,
  Determination of Fluoride in Toothpaste Using an
  Ion-Selective Electrode
• http//www.iupui.edu/it/iuortho/fluoride.html
• http//www.mall.turnpike.net/P/PDHA/fluoride/adver
  se.htm
• http//www.colgate.com/Pro/total_faq.html
• http//www.trinityhealthcare.com/Fluoride.html
• http//www.ada.org/consumer/fluoride/facts/benefit
  s.html