John McAndrew

1/27/15
What is your ingredient?
Sodium monofluorophosphate.
How is your ingredient classified in your product? (coloring agent, base,
bulking agent, sunscreen or additive) This chemical is used as a coloring
agent and a water soluble. This salt is an ingredient in toothpaste.
Draw the general chemical structure for your ingredient.

Are there different kinds or varieties of your ingredient? (for example, there
are butylparabens, ethyl parabens, methylparabens and propylparabens). If
so, please list them and briefly explain their differences and/or similarities.
What is this ingredient used for in your product? Please be specific.
Toothpastes.

Briefly list and explain the positive aspects of this ingredient.

Fluoride protects tooth enamel from attack by bacteria that cause dental
caries (cavities). Although developed by a chemist at Procter and Gamble, its
use in toothpaste (Colgate toothpaste) was patented by Colgate-Palmolive,
as Procter and Gamble was engaged in the marketing of Crest toothpaste
(containing stannous fluoride, marketed as "Fluoristan"). In the early 1980s,
Crest was reformulated to use MFP, under the trademark "Fluoristat"; today
Crest toothpastes use sodium fluoride.
Briefly list and explain the negative aspects of this ingredient.
Tooth decay is caused by bacteria naturally present in one's mouth. These
bacteria form a sticky, colorless soft film on the teeth called plaque. When
foods containing carbohydrates (starches and sugars) are eaten, the bacteria
that form plaque use the sugar as a form of energy. They also turn it into a

glue-like substance that helps them stick to the surface of the tooth. The
plaque produces acid, which attacks the enamel.[4]
Chemistry of decay
Tooth enamel consists mostly of calcium hydroxyphosphate, Ca5(PO4)3OH,
also known as the mineral hydroxyapatite. Apatite is a hard, insoluble
compound. Acid (H+), produced especially after a high-sugar meal, attacks
the apatite:
Ca5(PO4)3OH(s) + H+(aq) Ca5(PO4)3+(aq) + H2O()
Chemistry of enamel fluoridation
The degradation of apatite by loss of OH causes the enamel to dissolve. The
process is reversible as saliva supplies back OH to reform apatite. If fluoride,
F, ions are present in saliva, fluorapatite, Ca5(PO4)3F, also forms.
Ca5(PO4)3+(aq) + F(aq) Ca5(PO4)3F(s)
Fluorapatite resists attacks by acids better than apatite itself, so the tooth
enamel resists decay better than enamel containing no fluoride

Is your ingredient restricted or prohibited by the FDA? Why or why not?

No because it is to help prevent tooth decay, while promoting it.
What is the allowable concentration of your ingredient in your product in
order to be considered "safe"?
The usual content of MFP in toothpaste is 0.76%. The compound is used in
place of sodium fluoride because it is less acutely toxic, although both have
modest toxicities. The LD50 in rats is 0.9 g/kg.[6] The salt exhibits limited
musculoskeletal and respiratory toxicities.
What is your opinion of this ingredient based on what you have researched?
My opinion on this chemical is: Why would you put a chemical that causes
tooth decay in a product that prevents and is used by children?! I hope there
will be an all natural green chemistry toothpaste (even if its more expensive)
it would be nice to have.