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Manisha Chaudhary, Akash Kumar Giri, Anjali Giri | The Saudi Dental Journal | (2026)
Key Takeaways
Plain English Takeaway
Tiny plastic particles from dental products and procedures can get into our bodies and the environment, but we don't yet know how much this affects our health. Using better cleaning, filters, and safer products can help reduce these plastics.
Study Aim
This review aims to bring together current knowledge about how microplastics (tiny plastic pieces less than 5 mm) and nanoplastics (even smaller, less than 1 micrometer) are released from dental materials and oral-care products. The authors seek to explain where these particles come from, how people are exposed, what effects they might have on health, how they are detected, and what can be done to reduce their release. The review also highlights gaps in knowledge and suggests directions for future research.
Simply put: The paper wants to explain where tiny plastics in dentistry come from, how they might affect us, and what we can do about them.
Study Design
The authors conducted a narrative review, searching scientific databases and reference lists for English-language studies published between July and November 2025. They included research on micro- and nanoplastic release from dental materials, oral-care products, and dental procedures, as well as studies on exposure, health effects, detection methods, and environmental impact. The review did not use a formal protocol or risk-of-bias scoring but instead graded evidence strength based on study type and relevance. The synthesis focused on summarizing findings rather than excluding studies.
Simply put: The authors read and summarized many studies about plastics in dentistry, picking those most relevant to dental care and health.
Findings
The review shows that micro- and nanoplastics are released from common dental materials (like resin fillings, dentures, and clear aligners) and everyday oral-care products (such as toothbrushes, toothpaste, and floss). People are mainly exposed by swallowing these particles with saliva or, less often, by breathing in dust during dental procedures. Laboratory studies suggest these plastics can stress or inflame oral cells, but there is little direct evidence linking dental plastics to disease in humans. Dentistry also adds to environmental plastic pollution through wastewater. The authors recommend using high-volume suction, better filters, wet polishing, and choosing lower-shedding products to reduce exposure. They stress the need for more research, especially studies that match real-world exposure levels and track health outcomes over time.
Simply put: Dental products and treatments release tiny plastics, which might affect our health and the environment, so using better cleaning and safer products is advised.
Abstract
Micro and nanoplastics (MNPs) released from dental materials and oral-care products are an emerging concern at the intersection of dentistry and environmental health. This narrative review synthesizes evidence on dentistry-related sources of MNPs, exposure pathways, biological interactions, detection approaches, and environmental dissemination, with emphasis on practical mitigation. Resin-based composites and acrylic prosthetics, as well as routine consumer products such as toothbrushes, toothpastes, floss, and clear aligners, are identified as potential sources of microscopic polymer debris. Exposure may occur during everyday use, predominantly via ingestion with saliva and, in some contexts, inhalation of fine procedure-generated aerosols. Experimental in vitro and in vivo studies indicate that MNPs can be internalized by oral cells and may trigger oxidative stress and inflammatory responses, although direct human clinical evidence linking dental-origin exposure to disease remains limited. Proposed associations with periodontal inflammation, oral carcinogenesis, or systemic outcomes are biologically plausible but unconfirmed. Environmental studies have reported polymer-containing particulate in oral-care rinse water and dental wastewater, suggesting dentistry may represent a small but potentially addressable point source of microplastic release. We summarize mitigation options including effective chairside evacuation, upstream filtration and trap maintenance, dust control for laboratory processes, and patient guidance toward lower-shedding products, and we note the relevance of evolving regulation, including the EU REACH 2023/2055 restriction on intentionally added microplastics.
This paper (a narrative review) reaches this conclusion:
So basically: yeah brushing teeth & flossing does release micro-plastics, but it's not clear if (and how much) that matters.
(If worried, it seems one can buy non-plastic floss, made from silk for example!)