Celiac Disease and Gluten-Free Products
In thisJanuary issue of Dimensions there was an article on "The Oral implications of Celiac Disease." At the end of the article it was mentioned that the RDH must be careful in recommending and using fluorides and toothpastes with celiac patients as many contain gluten which is readily absorbed by the mucous membranes. This sent me on a search for products containing gluten. It appears that gluten is in many products but may not appear on the label as such. Can you guide me in selecting appropriate products for my patients?
cherylp
1 Answers
This is a great question since dental hygienists must be knowledgeable in regard to all ingredients in the oral health products we use in the office and those we recommend for home use. My research has not revealed any oral health products containing gluten. I contacted several companies, including Colgate, Crest/Oral-B, and Toms of Maine and all of them have said that none of their products contain gluten. In addition there are several websites that list several oral health products as gluten free. I think it is a good idea to keep asking the manufacturers this specific question in order to protect our patients with celiac disease. However, it does not appear to be an ingredient in most oral health products. I will continue to look for an oral health product containing gluten, but so far I am unable to find one.
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