Lijie Chen · Materials 2021 · narrative review · n=?

Hydroxyapatite in Oral Care Products—A Review

Cited 102 times in the scientific literature.

Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data

Narrative review of mechanisms, preclinical data, and commercial products without systematic review methodology.

OpenAlex W3198017134 · doi:10.3390/ma14174865 · record verified 2026-08-28

What was done

This narrative review synthesized literature on hydroxyapatite (HA) in oral care products. It evaluated mechanisms and preclinical/clinical evidence regarding enamel and dentine remineralisation, dentine sensitivity relief, oral biofilm control, and tooth whitening, alongside an overview of commercialized HA-containing dental formulations.

What was found

The abstract reports no numerical findings or statistical measures. It notes that hydroxyapatite is biocompatible and low in solubility, but current clinical data on HA dental products are limited and show variable results. Furthermore, the comparative effectiveness of HA versus conventional fluoride formulations has not been definitively established.

Why it matters

Synthesizes current scientific understanding of hydroxyapatite as a potential non-fluoride or adjunctive agent in commercial toothpastes and remineralisation therapies.

Limits

This is a narrative review with no predefined systematic search protocol, quality assessment, or quantitative pooling. The abstract lacks specific study counts or numerical outcomes, and acknowledges that existing clinical trials are sparse, variable, and provide insufficient head-to-head evidence against fluoride.

Cited by