Dry mouth lozenges, tablets may erode enamel and dentin, Study finds

There is a large variation in the composition, pH, and titratable acidity of dry mouth tablets and lozenges. Hence, Alex Delgado and colleagues carried out this study to assess the erosive potential of dry mouth lozenges and tablets on enamel and dentin.

The following lozenges and tablets were tested: Salese, Oracoat Xylimelts, Cotton Mouth, TheraBreath, DenTek OraMoist, SmartMouth, ACT, CVS Health, Rite Aid, Med Active, and Hager Pharma. Their pH Analysis was done. Each lozenge or tablet was crushed with a pestle and mortar and 5 g of the resultant powder was dissolved in 10 ml of distilled water (pH 7.02) The pH of each lozenge solution was assessed by using a calibrated pH meter. Titratable Acidity (TA) was determined by adding 0.1 M of NaOH to each homogenous tablet solution until the pH reached 7.0. Gravimetric Analysis was measured with freshly extracted molars crown/roots were sectioned at the CEJ and enamel and dentin specimens were fabricated. The specimens were then submerged in 5 ml of a solution containing 2.5 gm of crushed tablets for 24 h, 48 h, 96 h, and 14 days with measurements performed at each interval after drying. The solutions were renewed at each interval.