Oral mucosal desquamation of pre- and post-menopausal women - A comparison of response to sodium lauryl sulphate in toothpastes

The aim of the present study was to investigate whether a difference in susceptibility to chemically induced irritation of the oral mucosa in 14 pre- and 14 post-menopausal women exists, following local exposure to sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS) in toothpastes. 4 different pastes differing only in detergent concentration present, or not, were used. The participants applied 1 cm of the different test toothpastes to a cap splint covering the teeth and the oral mucosa of the upper jaw 2x daily for 2 min during a period of 4 days. 42 desquamative reactions of the oral mucosa (in 20 subjects) were observed, 29 and 13 in the pre- and the postmenopausal group, respectively. Desquamation was only experienced following exposure to SLS-containing toothpastes, not succeeding SLS-free paste. The results demonstrated that oral mucosa of pre-menopausal women was significantly more sensitive to SLS than oral mucosa of post-menopausal women. The difference in mucosal irritation between the 2 groups increased with increasing concentration of SLS.