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What every dentist needs to know about microplastics and dental materials.
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This review examines the sources and potential health risks of microplastics originating from dental products, including toothpastes, dental composites, aligners, and other clinical materials. Researchers found that dental products can release microplastic particles during use and degradation, contributing to both patient exposure and environmental contamination. The study calls for greater awareness among dental professionals about microplastic risks and the development of safer alternative materials.
Microplastics (MPs), defined as plastic particles ranging from 1 μm to 5 mm, have become a growing concern with potentially significant implications for human health. Originating from diverse sources, including consumer products, industrial activities, and biomedical supplies, MPs have been detected in water, food, air, and even human tissues. This review focuses on the potential health risks and sources of MPs, particularly those arising from dental products. Dental products such as toothpastes, toothbrushes, dental floss, resin-based composites, denture base materials, and thermoplastic orthodontic appliances contain or generate MPs through degradation and routine use. Human exposure to MPs occurs via ingestion, inhalation, and dermal contact, with evidence suggesting systemic distribution that affects multiple organ systems, including the cardiovascular, nervous, and endocrine systems. MPs can cross critical biological barriers, leading to neurotoxicity, hormonal disruption, and potential carcinogenesis. The cumulative plastic waste from dental care contributes to environmental pollution. Emerging solutions such as biodegradable materials and improved waste management strategies show promise but require further investigation. This review underscores the need for continued research on MP exposure to mitigate health risks and environmental impact.
More Papers Like This
What every dentist needs to know about microplastics and dental materials.
AI summary Read the abstract
This review outlined how common dental products — including toothpastes, composites, orthodontic appliances, and floss — contain or generate microplastics through degradation and use, and summarized the health risks from exposure via ingestion, inhalation, and dermal contact.
Microplastics in Dentistry: A Review of Health and Environmental Risks
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This narrative review examined the sources and health implications of microplastics in dental settings, identifying dental materials, procedures, and equipment as underrecognized sources of patient and clinician exposure. The review calls for greater awareness and standardized safety protocols in dentistry.
Detection and Identification of Various Microplastics in Different Orthodontic Adhesives
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Researchers found microplastics in four different brands of orthodontic adhesives used by dentists to attach braces. The microplastics were identified as fibers, fragments, and pellets containing various plastic polymers. While the amount is small compared to other plastic pollution sources, this study shows that dental materials can introduce microplastic particles into patients' mouths and eventually into the environment.
Microplastics in Orthodontics
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This paper reviews how microplastics can leach from dental and orthodontic materials such as toothpaste, retainers, aligners, and adhesives, with the oral cavity being a direct route for microplastic ingestion. As orthodontic treatments become more common, especially clear aligner therapy, understanding the extent of microplastic release from these devices is important for assessing patient exposure.
Microplastic Release from Dental Materials: Environmental and Biological Implications
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This review examines how dental materials—composites, adhesives, denture bases, and orthodontic appliances—degrade under mechanical, thermal, enzymatic, and chemical stressors to release microplastics, contributing to both direct patient exposure and environmental contamination.
Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.