Toothpaste could be facilitating spread of superbugs

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The EU’s Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety has revealed that certain toothpastes could be facilitating the spread of superbugs.

The committee said that toothpastes containing a chemical known as triclosan could lead to a spread of superbugs because the chemical makes bacteria more resistant to antibiotics. The US Food and Drug Administration has also raised concerns about triclosan and has called for further studies.

Triclosan was developed around 50 years ago; it was originally used as a surgical scrub but has subsequently been included in toothpaste, cosmetics and cleaning products. Trials showed that toothpaste containing triclosan was more effective than fluoride-only products in the fight against gum disease and plaque.

Research has shown that triclosan can trigger bacterial gene mutations, which enable them to protect themselves against antibiotics. Studies have already revealed that certain bacterial mutations, including E coli, salmonella and listeria have a degree of resistance to antibiotics; some strains of MRSA, the well-known hospital superbug, also have low levels of resistance to triclosan.

Colgate Total, one of the best-selling oral hygiene products in the UK, contains triclosan. A spokeswoman from Colgate Palmolive said that the benefits of triclosan far outweigh the risks; triclosan has been proven to reduce plaque and harmful bacteria.

GlaxoSmithKline has recently taken triclosan out of its range of oral hygiene products, including Aquafresh, Corsodyl and Sensodyne products. The decision to remove triclosan was taken after consumers raised concerns.

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October 17th, 2010 at 08:47 PM
Phil Says :

Wrong. Triclosan has not been shown to “trigger mutations.” The concern is that mutations can occur for tricosan resistance that also confer antibitic resistance. These have been forced under lab conditions but a number of well controlled studies have failed to find this in any real life application.