saccharin in toothpaste

[ruty]

i can't find a children's toothpaste that contains fluoride but not saccharin. As it is impossible to get my 11 month old to have his teeth brushed without swallowing the toothpaste, should i use a health shop one [i.e. fluoride and saccharin free?] I thought saccharin was carcinogenic, so why do they put it in children's toothpaste ?

bump?

The evidence about saccharine isn't consistent... I think one study thought it was carcinogenic, but most subsequent research failed to confirm that. That's why it's still legal.

A lot of the Americans reckon it's better to just clean their teeth with a soft cloth until closer to 2, if that's an idea.

I thought that most kid's toothpaste (eg. MacLean's milk teeth, which we have) was sweetned with sorbitol which isn't the same as saccharin, is it?

Had a quick look... seems like there was a ~1970 study which found saccharin causing bladder cancer in rats.

This study has been criticised on all sorts of technical grounds (see review in J. of Nat. Cancer Institute). . The evidence of sacharin being carcinogenic in humans is a lot weaker (harder thing to prove, of course).

Sorbitol is different from saccahrin, see this page describing different types of fake sugars .

I have read that until they can brush without swallowing the paste, they should have fluoride-free. We use Weleda.

ruty ds1 reacts appallingly to sorbitol so you may need to watch that. He seeks it out as well, I find him sitting in the bath munching through a tube! I either use the strawberry stuff in health food shops- Toms of Maine), or more commonly the stuff I sell (excuse the plug ) That's naturally sweetened with xylitol (other toothpastes are as well) which is good as it helps prevent ear infections. Doesn't have fluoride though- the strawberry stuff does which is why I kind of switch between the 2 (I want some fluoride but not too much).

that's interesting jimjams, thanks. FQZ, all the fluoride kids toothpaste i've seen in the shops has saccharin, not sorbitol - thanks for info on studies tho. franny f i have up to now been mostly rubbing with a cloth, because he swallows toothpaste then retches! what is the stuff you sell jimjams?

email me ruty- I've paid for an ad but only as a business opportunity not for sales (will prob do that when it expands later this year), so don't want to get knuckles rapped advertising.

will do!

You could use mine

Sorbitol gets in everything doesn't it? Really unlikely places as well (like gluten free pizza bases- grrr)