Toothpaste May Soon Get a Boost From Your Hair

Toothpaste and mouthwash could soon get a surprising upgrade—from your own hair. A new study in Advanced Healthcare Materials suggests the protein keratin, which is found in human hair and sheep's wool, is more effective at repairing and protecting tooth enamel than current treatments, reports the BBC.

• Keratin, already used in hair and skin products, forms a hard, enamel-like coating when combined with minerals in saliva, say the scientists. Applied to teeth with early decay in lab tests, the keratin treatment not only filled in enamel gaps but also proved five to six times harder than plastic resins now used for similar repairs, per the Washington Post.

• "Unlike bones and hair, enamel does not regenerate—once it is lost, it's gone forever," says Sherif Elsharkawy of King's College London in a statement. "With further development and the right industry partnerships, we may soon be growing stronger, healthier smiles from something as simple as a haircut."
• In the study, researchers extracted keratin from sheep's wool. No existing toothpaste uses the protein, though Elsharkawy says that could change in two to three years. A University of Pittsburgh dentistry assistant professor tempers that a bit: "Overall, I think it's promising as a future formulation, though this paper didn't test a real product, so formulation, safety, taste, dosing and clinical trials still lie ahead," Martinna Bertolini, who was not involved with the study, tells the Post.