Dry mouth is a common condition, affecting roughly 30 percent of the population, according to a 2017 study. To treat it, oral care products such as dry mouth lozenges or oral moisturizers are often prescribed.
But what if these dry mouth products were actually doing more harm than good? That’s the concern of Dr. Greg Grillo, a Washington-based dentist. Dr. Grillo recently created an online petition targeting seven companies that are making and selling oral moisturizer products that are dangerously acidic and causing erosion of the teeth.
According to an August 2017 study, to be safe, oral moisturizers prescribed to treat dry mouth should contain a pH level of 6.7 or higher. Any product with a pH level below 5.5 is considered dangerous.
To take matters one step further, in March 2018 researchers out of the University of Florida measured dentin tooth erosion when exposed to acidic dry mouth lozenges. The research identified seven oral moisturizers for dry mouth sold in the United States that have a pH level below 5.5 and caused significant amounts of tooth erosion, including:
- OraMoist® by DenTek™ (2.9 pH)
- Mouth Kote® by Parnell Pharmaceuticals (3.0 pH)
- Cotton Mouth Lozenges® by Cotton Mouth Candy Company (3.1 pH)
- MedActive® Oral Relief Lozenges (3.2 pH)
- Hager Pharma Dry Mouth Drops (4.4 pH)
- Rite Aid® Dry Mouth Discs (5.1 pH)
- CVS Pharmacy™ Dry Mouth Discs (5.3 pH)
Dr. Grillo’s petition urges these manufacturers to remove their dry mouth products from the market.