This Supposedly New-Fangled Toothpaste Is Actually 50 Years Old And Could Be Better Than Fluoride
Spokespersons from the American Dental Association continue to paint a fluoride-free mineral used in alternative toothpastes as a new-fangled social-media fad — but research going back fifty decades disputes these claims.
Libby Bandelin·Nov 3, 2026·4 min read
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Spokespersons from the American Dental Association continue to paint a fluoride-free mineral used in alternative toothpastes as a new-fangled social-media fad — but research going back at least 50 years disputes these claims.
A number of dentistry academics discussed the alternative toothpaste hydroxyapatite during a segment for National Public Radio’s “Healthy or Hype” series on Monday — claiming that research on the fluoride free mineral is new and un-studied. However, hydroxyapatite in oral care has a documented research history from Japan that dates back to the early 1970’s and is widely used in many countries apart from the U.S.
A number of Phark’s students and patients have come to him asking about hydroxyapatite and he told NPR that the product is “being pushed by influencers and other people quite intensively” on social media.
Another ADA consumer advisor spokesperson, Dr. Ada Cooper, said that research on the ingredient is new “and evidence regarding its clinical effectiveness remains limited and ambiguous, especially regarding clinical indications,” in an email to NPR.
However, this “new” ingredient appearing in U.S. markets has been a standard dental ingredient in Japan for over four decades and has extensive studies supporting its use across Europe.
“Hydroxyapatite is one of the most studied biomaterials in the medical field for its proven biocompatibility and for being the main constituent of the mineral part of bone and teeth,” a 2014 study from the Italian Journal of Odontostomatologic Sciences
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This Supposedly New-Fangled Toothpaste Is Actually 50 Years Old And Could Be Better Than Fluoride — IJR
. “In terms of restorative and preventive dentistry, nano-hydroxyapatite has significant remineralizing effects on initial enamel lesions, certainly superior to conventional fluoride, and good results on the sensitivity of the teeth.”
The mineral’s unique ability to chemically bond to bone, stimulate bone growth and not cause inflammation, has caused it to be widely used in periodontology and in oral and maxillofacial surgery, the study reported back in 2014.
NASA originally developed the enamel-restoring technology in 1972 as a way to address mineral loss in astronauts from their time in space.
A couple years later, the Japanese biometric company SANGI acquired the patent from NASA and begin researching and mass-producing the mineral in 1978. SANGI became the first company in the world to develop a toothpaste incorporating hydroxyapatite “the same substance as our teeth” and it became widely used across Japan. SANGI has developed toothpastes, toothbrushes and mouthwashes specializing in tooth enamel remineralization.
Meanwhile in the U.S., fluoride continues to reign supreme in oral care, despite Secretary for Health and Human Services Robert Kennedy Jr. expressing concern about the widely-used chemical.
The CDC stands by use of the inorganic element and named the addition of fluoride to public drinking water calling it in 1999 one of the top 10 great public health achievements of the 20th century — alongside vaccinations and family planning, the NPR reported.
Despite admitting that recent American studies have shown the mineral to be just as effective to fluoride, the ADA holds to its recommendation that Americans should brush their teeth twice a day for two minutes with fluoride toothpaste.
Concern about using fluoridated toothpaste was reported by 59.4 percent of dentists in a 2019 study published in Medical Science Monitor with 31 percent of dentists worried about the effects of swallowing fluoridated toothpaste and it causing dental and skeletal fluorosis.
Hydroxyapatite was found to be a more effective toothpaste for re-building the tooth and preventing decay especially among young children when compared to fluoride, a 2025 study published in the International Dental Journal found.
“While most of the literature on fluoridated toothpaste has demonstrated its ability to prevent the development of caries … there is low to moderate scientific evidence that fluoridated toothpaste can reverse caries activity by achieving a remineralizing effect of the lesion,” the study found.
On the other hand, hydroxyapatite has a proven track-record of re-building minerals in decayed teeth, according to the study.
“Hydroxyapatite, a natural component of tooth enamel, has the ability to remineralize and desensitize exposed dentin surfaces by forming a protective layer that blocks dentinal tubules, reducing the transmission of external stimuli that cause sensitivity,” it found.
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