Chapter 12:

OTC Products with the ADA Seal of Acceptance

Louis Erazo, BS

Overview

The American Dental Association (ADA) Seal of Acceptance Program is the gold standard for the safety and efficacy of over-the-counter (OTC) dental products for the advancement of oral health. Manufacturers commit significant resources to clinical trials and laboratory testing to demonstrate that the product is safe, as well as effective in its therapeutic claims. It is important for your patients to know that when they see the ADA Seal on a product, that product has been objectively evaluated by an independent body of scientific experts, the ADA Council on Scientific Affairs.

The following sections will focus on oral health care topics that have OTC options available within the ADA Seal of Acceptance Program. Making your patients aware of these options will allow them to be more informed consumers and aid them in choosing the best products to incorporate into their daily oral hygiene regimen. More information about the ADA Seal of Acceptance Program can be found at www.ada.org/seal.

1 | Dental Caries

One of the best preventive measure against caries is daily fluoride use. The ADA recommends brushing with an ADA Accepted toothpaste containing fluoride twice a day as well as cleaning between the teeth once a day to prevent cavities. In addition, the regular use of a fluoride-containing mouth rinse in your patient’s daily oral hygiene regimen can provide added protection against caries. All ADA Accepted mouth rinses intended to prevent cavities meet U.S. and international safety standards, including pH. A final recommendation to your patients in helping to reduce their caries risk is to maintain a diet low in added sugars.

Tables 1a and b list OTC products with the ADA Seal of Acceptance (current as of publication date, 2018) for the prevention of caries. Including any of these dentifrices in their daily oral health care routine can help patients maximize efforts in cavity protection and prevention. Patients who are at increased risk for caries or gingivitis might consider adding an ADA Accepted mouthrinse.

2 | Plaque and Gingivitis

Early intervention is advised to stop the progression of gingivitis into periodontitis. If the patient’s condition is at an early stage, there are ADA Seal products — specifically toothpastes and mouthrinses — you can recommend to help prevent progression of the disease. All ADA Accepted antiseptic mouth rinses meet U.S. and international safety standards, including pH.

Tables 2a and b and Tables 6a-d list OTC products with the ADA Seal of Acceptance (current as of publication date, 2018) used to treat and prevent plaque and gingivitis. Including any of these products in their daily oral health care routine can help patients increase protection from and prevention of plaque and gingivitis.

3 | Dentinal Hypersensitivity

There are a variety of treatment options available for patients affected by sensitive teeth. The appropriate course of action often depends on the severity of your patient’s hypersensitivity and whether or not there are other contributing factors to their condition e.g.gastroesophageal reflux disease, recent dental bleaching, aggressive oral hygiene practices, etc.). All ADA Accepted mouth rinses intended to manage hypersensitivity meet U.S. and international safety standards, including pH.

Table 3 lists OTC toothpastes with the ADA Seal of Acceptance (current as of publication date, 2018) for helping to manage dentinal hypersensitivity. Including any of these products in their daily oral health care routine can help patients with their sensitive teeth.

4 | Erosion

The main cause of erosion is the sustained contact of tooth enamel to an acidic environment. This can be introduced into the oral cavity by frequent consumption of acidic foods and beverages as well as other health factors such as gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERD.

The demineralization of tooth enamel can occur when the pH inside the oral environment is below 5.5. Erosion will begin as tooth surface softening that could eventually lead to the irreversible loss of tooth enamel. Once tooth enamel is lost, it cannot be regenerated and can lead to a host of other oral conditions such as tooth decay, cavities, hypersensitivity and tooth loss. Since erosion is a condition that exists in a continuum of stages, there are more treatment options available at the early stages than when the disease has progressed to a point of non-repair.

Early intervention is important in helping prevent or manage erosion in your patients. Patients should understand that reducing the amount of acidic beverages consumed on a daily basis and limiting contact time with these acid challenges is a very effective preventive measure against erosion. All ADA Accepted toothpastes and mouthrinses meet U.S. and international safety standards for pH.

Table 4 lists OTC products with the ADA Seal of Acceptance (current as of publication date, 2018) for dental erosion prevention/management. Including any of these products in their oral health care routine can help patients prevent or manage dental erosion.

5 | Topical Oral Pain Relief Products

Oral pain in the mouth and gums can be a common occurrence for orthodontic patients as well as the general public. Topically applied liquids or gels containing active ingredients intended for the temporarily relief of oral pain is a treatment option for patients experiencing this pain due to mouth sores.

Table 5 lists OTC products with the ADA Seal of Acceptance (current as of publication date, 2018) for topical oral pain relief. Including any of these products in their oral health care routine can help patients temporarily relieve oral pain due to mouth sores.

List of ADA Seal Accepted Products

Below is a list of products with the ADA Seal of Acceptance as of date of this publication (2018) such as OTC dentifrices, mouthrinses and oral pain remedies. Including any of these products in their daily oral health routine can help patients when addressing concerns like caries, plaque and gingivitis, hypersensitivity, erosion or oral pain.

For the most recent listing of ADA Seal Accepted products, refer to the ADA website at ADA.org/seal.

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