Denture Adhesive — Zinc Toxicity from Chronic Overuse, Copper Deficiency Neuropathy, FDA Safety Communication (Fixodent, Super Poligrip) — safety profile
Moderate riskDenture adhesive creams (Fixodent, Super Poligrip) contain zinc salts — typically zinc acetate or zinc chloride at 17-34 mg zinc per gram of product — to improve adhesion and fill gaps between ill-fitting dentures and gum tissue.
What is this product?
Denture adhesive creams (Fixodent, Super Poligrip) contain zinc salts — typically zinc acetate or zinc chloride at 17-34 mg zinc per gram of product — to improve adhesion and fill gaps between ill-fitting dentures and gum tissue. When used as directed (a thin strip, 1-2 applications daily), zinc intake from adhesive is modest (7-18 mg/day, within the 40 mg/day Tolerable Upper Intake Level). However, chronic overuse of denture adhesive — using multiple tubes per week to compensate for ill-fitting dentures — has been definitively linked to zinc-induced copper deficiency myeloneuropathy, a debilitating and sometimes irreversible neurological condition. Case series published in Neurology (Nations et al. 2008) documented patients using 2-3 tubes per week with serum zinc levels 2-4x normal, undetectable serum copper, and progressive ataxia, paresthesia, and myelopathy mimicking vitamin B12 deficiency. The FDA issued a safety communication in 2011 warning about zinc toxicity from denture adhesive overuse, and P&G reformulated Fixodent to a zinc-free formulation.
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