A fluoride that also fights gum inflammation, sensitivity and acid erosion, thanks to the tin. Can stain teeth brown in some people.
Stannous fluoride delivers the same anti-decay fluoride as sodium fluoride (about 1,100 ppm at the usual 0.454%), but the stannous (tin) ion adds three extras: it is antibacterial, it plugs the open tubules in exposed dentine that cause sensitivity, and it forms an acid-resistant layer that slows erosion from acidic drinks.
Older formulas stained teeth and tasted metallic; modern 'stabilised' versions reduce but do not always eliminate this.
As a fluoride it prevents decay at least as well as other fluorides. Meta-analyses of six-month trials show a clinically meaningful reduction in gingivitis versus ordinary toothpaste, and network meta-analyses rank it among the most effective toothpaste ingredients for sensitivity. Many trials were run or funded by manufacturers, and results vary widely between studies.
15 studies: stannous fluoride toothpastes reduced gingivitis compared with regular toothpaste, with less consistent effects on plaque; the size of the benefit was hard to pin down because results varied widely between studies.
Stabilised stannous fluoride paste gave similar or slightly better caries protection than other fluoride pastes (few, high-bias studies), better protection against acid erosion in 7 of 8 studies, and less sensitivity in a meta-analysis of six 8-week trials.
Six-month trials showed a clinically meaningful anti-gingivitis effect for stannous fluoride pastes, the largest body of support (21 studies) for essential-oil rinses, and variable results for cetylpyridinium chloride rinses depending on the formula. Unpublished manufacturer studies were included.
125 RCTs (12,541 patients). Compared with ordinary fluoride paste, stannous fluoride, potassium salts (alone or combined with stannous fluoride), calcium sodium phosphosilicate, arginine and strontium reduced sensitivity to at least one stimulus, with moderate-to-high certainty.