South Korean dentist obtains patent for toothpaste

By Lee Kyung-min 

Recent studies show oral diseases can affect the health of not only the mouth but also the whole body. It is also known that a bacterium, Streptococcus gordonii, can cause blood clots and trigger life-threatening endocarditis, or inflammation of the heart.

Moon Hyung-joo, a dentist and head of Moon Dental Hospital in northern Seoul, has obtained a patent from the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) for a toothpaste he developed, which is effective in killing the bacterium.

The toothpaste contains ingredients that are effective in detoxification and inflammation treatment. It has a mixture of neem oil and castor oil, combined with herbal extracts made from psyllium seed, Japanese star anise, trichosanthes seed, anemarrhena and Japanese cornelian cherry.

“Unlike most other toothpastes that use artificial chemical preservatives, this toothpaste is only composed of natural, organic compounds, which greatly reduces the risk of side effects,” Moon said.

Using natural toothpaste is important, as the oral mucosa, which is far thinner than the skin, is more susceptible to absorbing harmful substances into the body, he added.

“People nowadays pay great attention to the ingredients of cosmetic products and food because they care what they are putting into their bodies. Toothpaste is not an exception,” he said.