Key TakeawaysA small study has shown that a specially formulated toothpaste can help desensitize people with food allergies through a treatment called oral mucosal immunotherapy (OMIT).If more testing shows it’s safe and effective for kids as well as adults, it could be an easier way to help people overcome food allergies.The current standard of care for food allergies is avoiding triggers and carrying an auto-injector epinephrine pen to be prepared for life-threatening anaphylaxis.

Key Takeaways

A small study has shown that a specially formulated toothpaste can help desensitize people with food allergies through a treatment called oral mucosal immunotherapy (OMIT).If more testing shows it’s safe and effective for kids as well as adults, it could be an easier way to help people overcome food allergies.The current standard of care for food allergies is avoiding triggers and carrying an auto-injector epinephrine pen to be prepared for life-threatening anaphylaxis.

Brushing with a special toothpaste could be the future of oral immunotherapy for people with severe food allergies, according to new research that was presented at the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (ACAAI) Annual Scientific Meeting in early November.

While the study’s findings are preliminary, the researchers say that the special toothpaste could be a relatively easy, effective, and safe way to give people with peanut allergies OMIT.

“This strategy is innovative,”Sayatani Sindher, MD, clinical associate professor of pediatric allergy and clinical immunology at Stanford Health Care, told Verywell. “Pairing a daily habit (teeth brushing) with something that can help with food allergies is quite ingenious.”

The 9 Most Common Food Allergens

What Is Oral Mucosal Immunotherapy?

Oral immunotherapy (OIT, which includes OMIT) is an emerging treatment for food allergies, particularly peanut allergies. The idea behind it is to desensitize the body and decrease the severity of an allergic reaction to an allergen (for example, reducing the risk of life-threateninganaphylaxis). It’s not a cure for food allergies, but oral immunotherapy has been shown to desensitize 60 to 80% of people studied.

While OIT is considered safe, it can have side effects such as:

Another downside of oral immunotherapy is the lengthy time commitment. People need to consistently do treatment and increase the dose as they go to effectively build up tolerance.

To combat the inconvenience, the researchers in the recent study wanted to find a way to make oral immunotherapy part of something a person is likely already doing at home every day—such as brushing their teeth.

“Using toothpaste to treat peanut allergies is an interesting concept,”Zachary Rubin, MD, spokesperson for the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, told Verywell. “This would be a convenient way to help reduce the chances of developing a severe allergic reaction. This type of technology could potentially be used for other food allergens.”

That said, we’re still a ways off from the toothpaste being available to patients outside of studies. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has yet to approve any products since they’re all still in the research stage.

“Currently, there is not enough data to determine whether this will become a standard tool,” Rubin said. “So far, the safety looks promising, but we need to see data on how effective it is before coming up with conclusions.”

How Are Food Allergies Treated?

Can Kids Use the Toothpaste?

The formulated toothpaste was only tested on adults between the ages of 18 and 55. However, researchers are looking for ways to make allergy therapy easier for children.

While more studies are needed to determine if a formulated toothpaste would be safe and effective for children, Sindher thinks it is promising. Plus, the fluoride in toothpaste could add some dental health benefits to oral immunotherapy for kids and adults.

How Does Immunotherapy for Allergies Work?

What Options Do People With Food Allergies Have?

The standard of care for people with food allergies is to avoid allergens and carry an epinephrine auto-injector pen (EpiPen) in case of an anaphylactic emergency. However, ongoing OIT studies may show that other options can be safe and effective.

An estimated 10.8% of the U.S. population has at least one food allergy, including 7.6% of children. The most common allergies among adults are shellfish, milk, peanuts, tree nuts, and fish.Among children, the most common allergies are peanuts, milk, shellfish, and tree nuts.Food allergies can negatively affect mental health, cause financial hardships related to treatment, and increase the risk of developing other related chronic conditions such as eczema andasthma.

An estimated 10.8% of the U.S. population has at least one food allergy, including 7.6% of children. The most common allergies among adults are shellfish, milk, peanuts, tree nuts, and fish.Among children, the most common allergies are peanuts, milk, shellfish, and tree nuts.

Food allergies can negatively affect mental health, cause financial hardships related to treatment, and increase the risk of developing other related chronic conditions such as eczema andasthma.

However, Palforzia is currently only offered at specially certified healthcare centers, and participants must be enrolled in a Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) to take part.

According to Sindher, having more ways to minimize the burden of food allergies would be a game-changer for people of all ages living with severe food allergies.

What This Means For YouOral immunotherapy is an emerging strategy for helping people overcome food allergies, especially peanut allergies. Researchers are studying the potential of a special toothpaste that could make doing the treatment at home much easier.

What This Means For You

Oral immunotherapy is an emerging strategy for helping people overcome food allergies, especially peanut allergies. Researchers are studying the potential of a special toothpaste that could make doing the treatment at home much easier.

Boiled Peanuts May Be the Key to Curing Peanut Allergies

7 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American College of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology.Special toothpaste may lower risk of allergic reactions for adults with peanut allergy.American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.The current state of oral immunotherapy.Vickery BP, Berglund JP, Burk CM, et al.Early oral immunotherapy in peanut-allergic preschool children is safe and highly effective.J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2017;139(1):173-181.e8. doi:10.1016/j.jaci.2016.05.027Reisacher WR, Suurna MV, Rochlin K, Bremberg MG, Tropper G.Oral mucosal immunotherapy for allergic rhinitis: a pilot study.Allergy Rhinol (Providence). 2016;7(1):21-28. doi:10.2500/ar.2016.7.0150Gupta RS, Warren CM, Smith BM, et al.Prevalence and severity of food allergies among US adults.JAMA Netw Open. 2019;2(1):e185630. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2018.5630Gupta RS, Warren CM, Smith BM, et al.The public health impact of parent-reported childhood food allergies in the United States.Pediatrics. 2018;142(6):e20181235. doi:10.1542/peds.2018-1235Food and Drug Administration.FDA approves first drug for treatment of peanut allergy for children.

7 Sources

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American College of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology.Special toothpaste may lower risk of allergic reactions for adults with peanut allergy.American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.The current state of oral immunotherapy.Vickery BP, Berglund JP, Burk CM, et al.Early oral immunotherapy in peanut-allergic preschool children is safe and highly effective.J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2017;139(1):173-181.e8. doi:10.1016/j.jaci.2016.05.027Reisacher WR, Suurna MV, Rochlin K, Bremberg MG, Tropper G.Oral mucosal immunotherapy for allergic rhinitis: a pilot study.Allergy Rhinol (Providence). 2016;7(1):21-28. doi:10.2500/ar.2016.7.0150Gupta RS, Warren CM, Smith BM, et al.Prevalence and severity of food allergies among US adults.JAMA Netw Open. 2019;2(1):e185630. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2018.5630Gupta RS, Warren CM, Smith BM, et al.The public health impact of parent-reported childhood food allergies in the United States.Pediatrics. 2018;142(6):e20181235. doi:10.1542/peds.2018-1235Food and Drug Administration.FDA approves first drug for treatment of peanut allergy for children.

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

American College of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology.Special toothpaste may lower risk of allergic reactions for adults with peanut allergy.American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.The current state of oral immunotherapy.Vickery BP, Berglund JP, Burk CM, et al.Early oral immunotherapy in peanut-allergic preschool children is safe and highly effective.J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2017;139(1):173-181.e8. doi:10.1016/j.jaci.2016.05.027Reisacher WR, Suurna MV, Rochlin K, Bremberg MG, Tropper G.Oral mucosal immunotherapy for allergic rhinitis: a pilot study.Allergy Rhinol (Providence). 2016;7(1):21-28. doi:10.2500/ar.2016.7.0150Gupta RS, Warren CM, Smith BM, et al.Prevalence and severity of food allergies among US adults.JAMA Netw Open. 2019;2(1):e185630. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2018.5630Gupta RS, Warren CM, Smith BM, et al.The public health impact of parent-reported childhood food allergies in the United States.Pediatrics. 2018;142(6):e20181235. doi:10.1542/peds.2018-1235Food and Drug Administration.FDA approves first drug for treatment of peanut allergy for children.

American College of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology.Special toothpaste may lower risk of allergic reactions for adults with peanut allergy.

American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.The current state of oral immunotherapy.

Vickery BP, Berglund JP, Burk CM, et al.Early oral immunotherapy in peanut-allergic preschool children is safe and highly effective.J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2017;139(1):173-181.e8. doi:10.1016/j.jaci.2016.05.027

Reisacher WR, Suurna MV, Rochlin K, Bremberg MG, Tropper G.Oral mucosal immunotherapy for allergic rhinitis: a pilot study.Allergy Rhinol (Providence). 2016;7(1):21-28. doi:10.2500/ar.2016.7.0150

Gupta RS, Warren CM, Smith BM, et al.Prevalence and severity of food allergies among US adults.JAMA Netw Open. 2019;2(1):e185630. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2018.5630

Gupta RS, Warren CM, Smith BM, et al.The public health impact of parent-reported childhood food allergies in the United States.Pediatrics. 2018;142(6):e20181235. doi:10.1542/peds.2018-1235

Food and Drug Administration.FDA approves first drug for treatment of peanut allergy for children.

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