Celiac disease affects about 1% of our population. No medications cure it and the only known remedy to treat celiac is a gluten-free diet--avoiding products with wheat predominantly. Since we don't swallow toothpaste, does it matter if toothpaste contains gluten-like substances.
Is Gluten an Ingredient in Toothpaste?
Gluten is in oat flour, wheat germ oil, wheat bran, and malted barley. The internet warns to avoid any toothpastes with those ingredients. We've researched over 400 toothpastes sold in the USA and yet none contain any of these specific ingredients. If you are aware of any, please comment below and we'll happily research the claim.
What Products in Toothpaste Cause Celiac Symptoms?
There are two known toothpaste ingredients that are not gluten but cause celiac-like symptoms like bloating, gas, and other digestive complications. These are xanthan gum and gaur gum. If you have celiac disease and cannot seem to calm your digestive symptoms even from a regimented gluten-free diet or emotions, one possible reason is due to these dentifrice contaminants entering your system.
CRITERIA FOR RECOMMENDED TOOTHPASTE BRANDS:
Roughly 40% of all toothpastes sold in the USA do not contain gluten, xanthan gum, and guar gum ingredients. There are multiple toothpaste companies that make both celiac friendly and unfriendly toothpastes BUT the following companies have no gluten-like ingredients in 100% of their toothpastes thus avoiding potential cross contamination. We encourage you to look into other toothpaste companies. Selecting any toothpastes from these brands below should give you peace of mind though.
Fluoride Only Toothpastes
The following companies make fluoride-only toothpastes of all their types of toothpastes and don't include any fluoride-free options:
Companies That Make Both Non/Fluoride Toothpastes
Each of these companies make a variety of toothpastes--some with fluoride and the same alternative toothpaste without fluoride. This is appealing to those celiac patients that want more options.
Fluoride-Free Toothpastes
Fluoride toothpaste is highly recommended to place a shield over your teeth making them more resistant to cavities. If you're still convinced that non-fluoridated toothpaste is your calling in life, these companies have 100% of their toothpastes varieties with no xanthan or guar gum, and are natural toothpastes. Though they do not have cavity-fighting ingredients, those with an (*) have xylitol in them, which is a helpful ingredient that helps reduce bacterial count.
Take Home Message
No known American toothpastes contain gluten ingredients. You should not be swallowing toothpaste to begin with but even if gluten ingredients found their way into toothpastes, the trace amounts potentially swallowed are usually not enough to cause a reaction. However, those diagnosed with celiac that are extremely sensitive to gluten-like ingredients and want to hold on to a higher standard, we suggest to avoid toothpaste ingredients xanthan gum and gaur gum. Pick any of these brands listed above with confidence that they should be free of contaminants that incite celiac-like symptoms.