Why You Should Ask Your Dentist About Gluten in Dental Products

Celiac.com 02/23/2022 - Anyone who knows about trying to live gluten-free with celiac disease can likely cite chapter and verse about the wide variety of products that can contain hidden gluten. The list is long, and contains numerous non-food items, like makeup and cosmetics, shampoos and conditioners, lotions, drugs, and more.

To that list, we can now add dental products, including both professional dental products and home dental products. Hidden gluten in dental products could be an issue for people with celiac disease, who need to remain gluten-free if they want to remain healthy. We know that dentists can play an important part in protecting people with celiac disease. But maybe there's even more your dentist can do to protect patients with celiac disease.

Celiac.com Sponsor (A12):
Here's why you and your dentist should talk about gluten in dental products.

We did an article a while back on gluten in orthodontic retainers made with a chemical resin called methyl methacrylate (MMA), which contains gluten. We've also had some good information exchanged about gluten in dental devices on our gluten-free and celiac disease forum.

Gluten Found in Numerous Dental Products
As awareness has grown that the non-dietary gluten found in MMA can trigger symptoms in celiac patients, attention has turned to a number of other oral prostheses and dental appliances that are also made with MMA, and can contain gluten. The list includes orthodontic retainers, fixed and removable dentures, temporary crowns, and denture repair materials.

Since the FDA still does not require manufacturers to specifically label whether these products contain gluten, the safest bet for celiacs is to assume possible gluten presence in any unlabeled products. In response to this conundrum, a number of dental manufacturers have begun to clearly label their gluten-free products. 

For dentists working in a clinical setting, and for people using products at home, it's important to look for the gluten-free label on packaging for prophylactic pastes, therapeutic agents, fluoride products, whitening systems, and patient samples. 

Look for Dental Products Labeled Gluten-Free
If no such label is found, dentists may want to consider purchasing a small amount of a certified gluten-free options for their celiac patients, while those using products at home might want to look for a comparable product that is clearly labeled gluten-free. Until we have comprehensive gluten-free labeling for dental products, it's important for patients to look for the gluten-free label, and to work with your dentist to make sure you're getting products labeled gluten-free.

Please search the brand of any prescription medications and other dental products here, but know many will not be found in the prescription medication database:
https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/ 

Stay tuned for a list of advertised gluten-free home and professional dental products.

Read more in rdhmag.com