Details Still Sparse on Fixodent Zinc Poisoning

December 6, 2010, 8:00AM. By Gordon Gibb

Cincinatti, OHThe manufacturer of Fixodent denture adhesive continues to resist following the path blazed by rival Poligrip, after GlaxoSmithKline (Glaxo) decided to remove zinc from its denture cream formulation. That announcement came on February 18, 2010. Almost a year later, Procter & Gamble (P&G) has not advanced a similar decision, and its Web site still refers to the presence of zinc in Fixodent.

Thus, the possibility and potential for Fixodent zinc poisoning remains.

According to an Associated Press (AP) report at the time, the decision by Glaxo to cease marketing some of its products and to remove zinc as an adhesive ingredient came amidst revelations of the potential for and the effects of zinc poisoning, together with a growing number of lawsuits from plaintiffs claiming to have been injured by the product.

Zinc has been a common ingredient in denture adhesive due to zinc's adhesion qualities—adhesion being the hallmark of any adhesive product. The problem begins when the careful balance of zinc and copper normally prevalent in the human body is upset. In other words, an appreciable increase in zinc levels corresponds to a decrease in copper, with sometimes devastating health effects.

Fixodent denture cream, on its Web site, notes that its product contains zinc in small quantities no more sinister than found in daily multivitamins or in six ounces of ground beef.

To be fair, were denture adhesive to be used exactly as directed there would likely be little concern for zinc overload.

However, where the presence of zinc becomes problematic is the habit by many denture wearers to use more denture cream than is recommended. This has been reported generally as stemming from the following:

The notion that if denture cream goes in the mouth, then it must be akin to toothpaste and using more should not be harmful; there is allegedly nothing on the product label warning about the effects of using too much adhesive or the potential for denture adhesive zinc poisoning; that for many denture wearers who cannot afford to have their dentures updated on a regular basis, ill-fitting dentures are made to work by way of copious amounts of denture cream.

Hence the imbalance between the two extremes: recommended product usage v. real-world use of the product.

On its Web site for Fixodent, P&G makes only a passing reference to zinc without inferring or stating the potential for zinc toxicity beyond providing a link to a dietary fact sheet provided by the Office of Dietary Supplements. Here the viewer will find a fairly exhaustive summary of zinc, with only a paragraph or so dedicated to the health risks associated with excessive zinc. Even here, there is no reference or mention that zinc toxicity can stem from overuse of Fixodent denture adhesive.