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Profile in Oral Health: NovaMin Technology, Inc. Trisha E. O'Hehir, RDH, BS, Editorial Director, Hygienetown Magazine

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Hygienist Diane Warren with NovaMin CEO Randy Scott An interview with Randy Scott,
CEO of NovaMin Technology, Inc. (NTI)

By Trisha E. O'Hehir, RDH, BS, Editorial Director, Hygienetown Magazine

Remember the name NovaMin; it will soon become the ingredient you look for in every tube of toothpaste you buy. In a laboratory study conducted at the University of Florida, extracted teeth were treated with either a NovaMin-containing fluoride toothpaste or a commercially available fluoride toothpaste. Specimens treated with the NovaMin-containing fluoride toothpaste demonstrated greater remineralization than the fluoride toothpaste, 42 percent vs. 25 percent. As research continues, it is likely that NovaMin will remineralize early decay better than fluoride, potentially making it the greatest innovation for prevention since fluoride. Using essential minerals in their ionic form, NovaMin is a remineralization technology that also reverses the effects of aging on the teeth. It reduces sensitivity while making the teeth whiter and restoring the luster of youth.

I recently spoke with Randy Scott, CEO of NovaMin Technologies, Inc., in Alachua, Florida, who is a strong supporter of dental hygienists and wants to make our work easier and more effective. He is excited about the potential of adding this new American-made ingredient to toothpaste to bring better oral health to people around the globe.

How did NovaMin get its start?
Scott: NovaMin is made from the same bioactive material used in the most advanced bone regeneration material, which is available only to surgeons and has been used in more than 1,000,000 successful surgeries. This material has now been adapted for use in everyday oral care products to revitalize your teeth – producing teeth that are less sensitive, cleaner, whiter and healthier than possible with old technologies like fluoride.

Who developed the bone regenerative material?
Scott: By chance, an Army colonel met biomaterials scientist Dr. Larry Hench on a plane and they talked about soldiers who suffered shattered bones due to combat and the need for a bone replacement to treat these wounds. This conversation was the origin of this material. It soon led to the formation of a company called USBiomaterials, which focused on bone regeneration.

How did the dental application of the technology develop?
Scott: The NovaMin invention was made by researchers at USBiomaterials and the University of Maryland Dental School, as an outgrowth of the bone regeneration work. It quickly became apparent that a smaller particle containing all the elements critical for tooth remineralization could revolutionize oral care. Delivered individually, calcium, phosphorus, silica and sodium provide limited value in remineralization. Delivered together, in their rare ionic form, creates a powerhouse of tooth renewal. Each microscopic NovaMin (calcium sodium phosphosilicate) particle serves as a delivery system for these mineral ions.

How does NovaMin actually work?
Scott: The best way to remineralize enamel is the most natural way, through the saliva. When the NovaMin particle is exposed to water, either from your saliva or tap water, it reacts instantly by releasing billions of mineral ions that become available to the natural remineralization process in your mouth. The mineral ions combine with naturally occurring ions in your saliva to form hydroxyapatite crystals, which close dentinal tubules and remineralize enamel.

What products already contain NovaMin?
Scott: The "Power of NovaMin" is reaching millions of patients and consumers in more than 20 countries worldwide, and it's just getting started here in the U.S. We currently manufacture SootheRx for Omni, a 3M/ESPE oral care division as well as our own Oravive line of products. Also we are working with Dentsply Professional and Sultan Healthcare on several new products, which will be available this fall. We are partnering with leading dental and oral healthcare manufacturers around the world to add NovaMin to their products. The dental profession has acknowledged that new remineralization ingredients are going to be in every tube of toothpaste in the not-too-distant future. Our task is to prove that we're the best one so that we can become the technology standard. The stakes are huge. This is a $1 billion potential market.

Although NovaMin Technologies, Inc., has the Oravive product line, it is actually an ingredient company.
Scott: That's right, Trisha. NovaMin Technologies, Inc., was formed in 2004 to focus exclusively on the oral care field. This was an opportunity to form a new kind of company that would not actively compete with established office dispensed products or toothpaste companies, but would partner with them by supplying the NovaMin ingredient. We developed the Oravive products just to show companies how NovaMin could be incorporated into their products.

What products are included in the Oravive line?
Scott: We have four Oravive products: tooth conditioner, revitalizing paste, dental floss and a soft toothbrush. The tooth conditioner is designed for revitalizing and remineralizing tooth surfaces. It's for those people who are at the greatest risk of demineralization, sensitivity and staining. The revitalizing paste is a fluoride-free toothpaste with the added benefits of NovaMin. The Oravive dental floss also contains NovaMin. Our soft toothbrush has rounded bristles for effective, yet gentle cleaning.
NovaMin Technologies, Inc., looks for more ways to use NovaMin's natural biological defenses and repair mechanisms in new products.

Besides the remineralization properties of NovaMin, does it have any effect on the bacteria?
Scott: NovaMin is alkaline by nature and therefore has an antibacterial effect, which translates to an anti-gingivitis effect when NovaMin is added to toothpaste. Most oral bacteria prefer living in an acidic environment. Bacteria also use calcium ions to regulate their internal pressure. NovaMin's alkalinity demands adjustment by the bacteria, but the large release of ionic calcium renders the bacteria incapable of making this adjustment, so they die. Multiple researchers have shown rapid kill of both cariogenic and periodontal bacteria – killing as much as 99.9999 percent or more in just two minutes. This has been translated to clinical results also. A study published last year in the Journal of Periodontology, showed that a toothpaste containing NovaMin reduced gingival bleeding in just six weeks of normal use.

Where does NovaMin fit into the caries process?
Scott: People get caries for one of three reasons: lack of proper oral hygiene; acid attack, mostly due to diet; or inadequate remineralization (usually due to saliva issues). Hygienists address oral hygiene habits through education and treatment; fluoride provides some protection against acid attacks by hardening the teeth. NovaMin addresses these oral care issues by dramatically boosting the essential mineral ions present in saliva and increasing the oral pH to the ideal range for remineralization.

When combined with fluoride, NovaMin creates dramatic results increasing the fluoride uptake for superior enamel protection. For healthy people, NovaMin can substantially supplement the benefits of fluoride.

For people at elevated risk for caries because of saliva issues, however, the results can be very dramatic – repairing and protecting at a level never before possible in this population.

Is NovaMin contraindicated for certain patients?
Scott: NovaMin is exceptionally safe and non-toxic. It is made with the same minerals naturally found in saliva. Unlike many other therapeutic ingredients it doesn't stain teeth. In fact it whitens teeth.

Do you have any new innovations planned for the near future?
Scott: We are looking for more and more ways to use NovaMin's natural biological defenses and repair mechanisms in both dental products and consumer products. Additionally, our scientific staff is screening many other interesting new technologies from universities and researchers around the world to see what we might be able to introduce to the industry next that might have comparable benefits in oral health and dental care.

Is NovaMin reaching populations at risk for tooth decay?
Scott: Yes, the main way is making sure that toothpaste makers around the world know about, and have access to NovaMin. We're in contact with more than 300 oral care product companies worldwide, helping them understand how they can improve their consumers' oral health.

It is also important to us to recognize needs in our own community. Here we are partnering with the Alachua County Organization for Rural Needs, Inc. (ACORN). The ACORN Clinic is a nationally recognized program that provides low cost medical, dental and social services to residents of north central Florida.

NovaMin also provides toothpaste to support the Tooth Fairy Program. This dental outreach program serves the north central Florida area by visiting dozens of schools and health fairs in our area.

In 2007, 5,000 children were instructed and taught early age awareness in oral hygiene in a fun and personal way. The program demographics cover uninsured and underinsured Headstart (three- to four-year-olds), pre-K, kindergarten and first grade children in elementary schools, Headstart centers, daycares and health fairs across the North Florida area. At NovaMin we want to improve the world's oral health, but we want to go the extra mile in our own back yard. This is a great way to help out an innovative local program.

Thank you Randy. I'll be looking for NovaMin in many more oral health products in the future. For more information on NovaMin, visit www.novamin.com, or call 386-428-1551.
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