CONTACT ALLERGENS IN TOOTHPASTES AND A REVIEW OF THEIR HYPERSENSITIVITY

The present study summarizes information on toothpaste composition as supplied by the manufacturers. The survey covered 48 items, virtually all toothpastes offered for sale in Finland. It was concluded that the toothpastes are not entirely safe to use, because almost 50% of the p roducts studied contained a total of some 30 compounds widely recogniz ed as allergens. According to the literature, the most common allergen s in toothpastes are flavours (e.g., cinnamic aldehyde, cinnamon oil a nd peppermint) and preservatives. Symptoms include stomatitis, cheilit is, glossitis, gingivitis, perioral dermatitis and immediate hypersens itivity.