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Two dominant factors dictate which ingredients are used in formulating toothpaste and mouthwashes. The major one is the type of active ingredient chosen, especially cationic active ingredients such as chlorhexidine; the other factor is the needs of the consumer. Apart from gum health benefits, the consumer expects to obtain from gum health toothpaste and mouthwashes other benefits of clean teeth (abrasive and detergent), fresh breath (antimicrobial agents and flavor) and protection from caries and possibly tartar. Exhaustive testing involving experimental design and validated laboratory and clinical tests is essential to ensure that all these benefits are delivered. Unless products are developed systematically, then products with relatively poor activity can find their way on to the market.

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Hydroxyapatite (HA) discs were treated for 1 min with fluoride solutions of varying concentrations and pH. The calcium fluoride and fluoridated hydroxyapatite (FHA) formed were analysed independently of each other following their separation in molar potassium hydroxide. Only the more intimately associated FHA was found to affect the rate of acid dissolution of HA and its level of formation and the reduction in acid dissolution rate of HA were both found to be linearly related to the logarithm of the ionic fluoride level in the treatment solution following 1 min. pretreatment. The benefit of using acidulated fluoride treatment of enamel is questioned as neutral fluoride treatments of enamel mineral resulted in equivalent protection.