Arginine Salt Oral Care Composition for Fluoride Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing oral care products struggle to combine arginine and fluoride effectively due to stability issues, pH-related problems, and potential irritation, which has limited the development of products that simultaneously utilize these beneficial ingredients.
Innovation Solution
An oral care composition comprising a salt of arginine and an inorganic acid, combined with a soluble fluoride salt and a calcium salt of an inorganic acid, such as calcium phosphate, where the arginine is present as a salt of phosphoric acid and the calcium salt is present in an amount of 10 to 60wt% of the total composition weight.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If arginine and fluoride are combined in an oral care product, then the product provides enhanced oral care benefits, but the basic amino acid raises pH and facilitates dissociation of calcium ions that react with fluoride ions to form an insoluble precipitate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the pH parameter by buffering the arginine salt solution to a pH range of 5.5-7.0 using weak acids (acetic acid, lactic acid, or phosphoric acid). This pH control prevents excessive dissociation of calcium ions while maintaining arginine's beneficial effects, thereby stabilizing fluoride in the formulation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces weak acids (acetic acid, lactic acid, or phosphoric acid) as intermediary substances that mediate between arginine and fluoride. These acids buffer the pH and prevent direct harmful interactions between arginine and fluoride, allowing both ingredients to coexist stably.
2Stability of the object's composition
If arginine bicarbonate is used to maintain neutral or acidic pH, then the formulation stability improves, but carbon dioxide is released leading to bloating and bursting of containers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces arginine bicarbonate (which generates problematic CO2) with arginine salts of weak acids (acetic acid, lactic acid, or phosphoric acid). These alternative salts do not release carbon dioxide, eliminating the bloating and container bursting issues while maintaining pH stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the potential harm of CO2 release into a benefit by selecting alternative acid salts that provide pH buffering without gas evolution. The weak acid salts maintain the desired pH range while avoiding the harmful side effect of carbon dioxide release.
3Stability of the object's composition
If pH is lowered to neutral or acidic conditions to prevent precipitate formation, then fluoride stability improves, but the arginine forms an insoluble arginine-calcium complex with poorer affinity for the tooth surface
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the pH parameter to a specific range of 5.5-7.0, which is acidic enough to prevent arginine-calcium precipitate formation and maintain fluoride stability, yet not so low as to completely inhibit arginine's tooth surface affinity. This optimized pH range balances both requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different pH control strategies to different aspects of the formulation: maintaining locally acidic conditions (pH 5.5-7.0) to prevent precipitate formation while preserving arginine's biological activity and tooth surface affinity through the specific choice of weak acid salts.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The composition achieves enhanced stability of fluoride, promotes remineralization, reduces dental caries, and enhances oral health by maintaining a stable pH and promoting a favorable environment for arginolytic bacteria, while also providing sensitivity relief and buffering against cariogenic acids.
Implementation Method 1
neutralizing the basic amino acid with the inorganic acid to form a salt of the basic amino acid
Implementation Method 2
promotes remineralization, reduces dental caries
Implementation Method 3
buffering against cariogenic acids
Data Source
AI summary
This invention relates to oral care compositions comprising an effective amount of a salt of a basic amino acid, the salt having a pH in an unbuffered solution of less than about 7.5; an effective amount of a soluble fluoride salt; and a particulate material which has a pH in an unbuffered solution of less than about 7.5; and to methods of using and of making such compositions.