Could toothpaste sourced from hair be good for dental health?

Researchers have found that toothpaste made from hair could help restore and protect teeth. The findings were made by scientists at King’s College London who examined the role of keratin, and the study was published in Advanced Healthcare Materials.

Keratin is a protein ordinarily found in hair as well as skin and wool. According to the research, it is able to repair enamel and prevent early-stage tooth decay. It achieves this by generating a protective coating. This simulates the structure and functionality of natural enamel when exposed to minerals found in saliva.

In the words of one of the study authors, Sara Gamea, keratin has the potential to deliver a “transformative alternative” to existing dental solutions. The protein offers an eco-friendly biomaterial, which could offset the need for less sustainable or durable plastic resins. The study also extracted keratin from wool and found that when it is applied to tooth surfaces and comes into contact with saliva-based minerals, it forms something resembling a scaffold, which protects the enamel. It achieves this with the help of calcium and phosphate ions, which over time create an enamel-like coating.

According to the research team, this is an exciting development – particularly as enamel, unlike hair and bone, does not regenerate once lost. In conclusion, biotechnology is enabling people to not only tackle symptoms but also recover biological function by using other parts of the body.

For more information on how you can protect your teeth from erosion and decay, call Art of Dental Care. We are leading providers of root canal treatment in Chester, along with other dental services.