TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention discloses tooth powder composition having enhanced flavour delivery.
More particular!), the invention is concerned about tooth powder composition comprising a solid
state non-ionic surfactant which is Poloxamer 407 such that enhancement in the flavour delivery
of tooth powders can be achieved even in presence of low levels of flavour.
BACKGROUND AND THE PRIOR ART
Oral care compositions are used for a wide variety of purposes, including for enhancing personal
health. hygiene, and appearance, as well as for preventing or treating a variety of diseases and
other conditions in humans. Surfactants play a key role in dentifrices. They emulsify fats and oils
coating the oral cavity, they prevent dentifrice loss during brushing, and they provide a means
for contacting active ingredients with teeth and gums during brushing.
US 5496541 relates to good tasting dental products having improved foaming properties
containing a poloxamer anionic polysaccharide non-ionic cellulose ether surfactant system
US 20030185767 A1 discloses poloxamer in a dental composition inhibiting adherence and
plaque and or stains on teeth.
US 4206198 relates to a dentifrice composition, and in particular, to one which contains an
effective amount of canonic anti- decay agent plus a non-ionic surfactant which provides
adequate foaming properties without imparting an unpleasant taste.
EP0464913A1 discloses poloxamer 407 in an oral composition containing hydrogen peroxide
with a viscosity stabilizing system.
US 3963832. US 4206198. US 4323552. US 4343785. US5096699 and WO 93 16680 disclose
poloxamers in a list of surfactants, and disclose non-ionic cellulose ether and or anionic
polysaccharides in a list of binders, thickeners, or gelling agents, without recognizing the
synergy between flavor and poloxamer.
Unfortunately, most toothpaste surfactants have undesirable properties. They taste bad. both
during and after brushing, and they irritate oral and gastric mucosa. So. flavor delivery becomes
one of the important aspects of any dentifrice. It is important to have the desired delivery of
flavor attributes like cooling, mintiness and spiciness.
Poloxamer 407 is a non-ionic surfactant, which is sometimes used in toothpaste and
mouthwashes.
The present inventors have found that poloxamer 407 in combination with a flavoring agent
when used in toothpowder in a particular proportion improves the flavor deliverv of the
prototype even when low levels of flavours are used. With the use of Poloxamer 407. lower
dosage of flavor is adequate for achieving the flavor deliverv otherwise if added at a higher
dosage.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
Thus, one object of the present invention is to overcome the problems disadvantages of the
prior art.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a toothpowder with improved flavor
deliver).
Another object of the present invention is to provide a toothpowder such that the flavor dosage in
it is lower when added in combination with Poloxamer 407 thus giving the similar flavor profile,
w ith that of use of flavor alone at higher dosage.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a tooth powder composition
hav ing enhanced flavor delivery, said composition comprising:
0.1 to 10 wt °o of poloxamer 407 in its solid state having desirable particle size dispersed in an
orally acceptable calcium carbonate along with 0.001 to 12 wt % of flavors flavoring agent to
enhance flavor delivery.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Poloxamer 407 (HO (C2H4O)a(C3H6O)b(C2H4O)a H ) is a solid state nonionic surfactant with a
molecular weight of 9840-14600 (fig.1). It is hydrophilic in nature. It contains a central
hydrophobic region of poly propylene glycol which itself is surrounded by two hydrophilic block
of polyethylene glycol. It is a synthetic block co polymer of ethylene oxide and propylene oxide.

Poloxamer 407 is commonly used in various cosmetic products as a surfactant and also as an
ingredient, which can be used for dissolving oily materials in water. Poloxamer is also used for
removing lipid film in contact lens. It is sometimes used in toothpastes and mouthwashes.
Poloxamer. is commercially available as flakes, can be incorporated into toothpaste and rinses
very easily, as the former will dissolve in the liquid components of the latter. However in a
toothpowder scenario, where the entire ingredients are solids, the particle size of each component
is crucial since the Finished Goods have to meet the IS spec of passing through 1U0 mesh (1 to
150 micron) for regulatory purpose. In this invention, the necessary particle size of the
Poloxamer has been created to meet this requirement by pulverizing the same and passing it
through a 100 mesh before using it in the toothpowder. It has been observed that the combination
of a flavor system and the poloxamer of micron size below 150 augment the flavor delivery
significantlv. The mechanism of the flavor delivery enhancement by the poloxamer is very likely
due to some phvsico-ehemical interaction between the flavor molecule and the back-bone chain
of the poloxamer. The fineness (1-150 micron) of the solid increases the surface area and thus
favours significantlv the molecular interaction.
The mechanism appears to be due to the phenomenon of a co-operative molecular interaction of
flavor molecules and the poloxamer chain in the solid state that is responsible for the observed
enhacement of flavor delivery. The unsaturation factor of the poloxamer chain further favours
such an interaction. The enhanced flavor delivery is attributed most likely to the anchoring of the
flavor molecules to the poloxamer chain in the solid state, therby preventing the flavor loss
under standard storage conditions, which usually happens in any dentifrice product formulated
without a poloxamer ingredient. The invention is well established as the Poloxamer 407
inherentlv carries the high unsaturation factor as compared to am of the other commercially)
availahle poloxamers (Table 1) which significantly favours the high flavour delivery mechanism.
The unsaturation factor of the poloxamer significant!} facilitates the degree of molecular
anchoring process. Such a molecular trapping and the resultant flavor stabilization may not be as
strong in a liquid state oral care product like toothpaste or mouth rinse, presumably by
weakening of flavor-poloxamer interactions due to the presence of strongly hydrogen bonding
molecules like emollients and water, whereas in the case of a solid state product like
toothpowder this is much favored .as discovered in the present invention.
Table 1 : Comparative data showing characteristics of commercially a\ailable Poloxamers with
Poloxamer 407.

The total amount of poloxamer present in the compositions of the present invention may be 0.01
to 10% most preferabh 0.01 to 5.0 % by weight of the total solids.
Flavors or flavoring agent may be added to increase palatabilitv and may include peppermint oil.
eucalyptus oil. spearmint oil. wintergreen oil (methyl salicylate) etc. and or those derived from
fruits like strawberry, raspberry, papaya, apple, pineapple, banana, lime, lemon, orange, etc and.
or Flavor oils flavoring agents which can bring in cooling, burning, tingling, numbing sensations
derived from spices like cinnamon, clove, basil, nutmeg, anise, thyme, rosemary, olive, menthol,
ginger, pepper, capsicum, camphor, eugenol. vanillin, and any other mixture, etc. Dosage of
flavor can vary in weight percentage from 0.001 to 12%. most preferably from 0.0001 to 10%.
Formula ingredients may additionally comprise one or more: Sodium saccharin (0.01-1.0%).
Citric acid (0.01-2.0%). Sodium monofluorophosphate (0.1-0.76%) . Dicalcium phosphate
dihydrate (0.1- 30%) and Calcium carbonate (65.0 to 90.0 % ).
The present invention is now demonstrated by way of illustrative non - limiting examples
Example 1
In this study two prototypes of tooth powders with same flavor having range from 0.01 to 5.0%
have been taken. Dosage of flavor can vary in weight percentage from 0.0001 to 10%.
1% of Poloxamer 11-150 micron) mixed with 5% to 10% of calcium carbonate (1-150 micron)
alongwith the flavor flavoring agent and agitated. The above mixture was mixed with the rest of
the formula ingredients and made up to 100% by adding solid calcium carbonate and further
agitated to a homogeneous powder. The quantity of the Poloxamer can be used between 0.01 to
5.0 % by weight of the total solids.
Sample A contains no poloxamer407 but has higher concentration of flavour (2.4%).
Sample B contains reduced flavour concentration (2.0%) and has poloxamer 407.
Experimental data
Two tooth powder prototypes have been made with different concentrations of same flavour.
Sample A has been incorporated with 2.4% flavour and sample B with 1% poloxamer and 2.0%
flavour. These prototypes were sensorially evaluated among ten panelists. The objective of the
study was to find the effect of poloxamer 407 on flavour attributes of the prototype. The ratings
have been taken in 1-5 point scale (5 being the best). Ratings have been taken during brushing,
immediate after rinsing and after 5minutes. The data have been compiled and ANOVA
programme of Microsoft excel has been used for finding the critical difference value.
A sensor) evaluation has been conducted among ten trained panel in order to find any
improvement of flavour delivery in sample B. which contains poloxamer 407.
The results are provided in Table 2 below.
Results
fable 2. A sensorial rating of flavour attributes for the protot\pes A & B

From this table it is clear that the prototype with reduced flavour level with the use of Poloxamer
407 (Sample B) is at par with the prototypes with higher concentration of same flax our (Sample
A) in flavor attribute rating.
The results reveal show that sample B is giving better flavour deliver), cooling and freshness.
The result shows that majoritv of the people like the prototvpe with poloxamer 407 than the
prototype with high concentration of flavour
WE CLAIM
1. A tooth powder composition having enhanced flavor delivery said composition
comprising:
0.1 to 10 wt °o of poloxamer 407 in its solid state having desirable particle size dispersed
in an oralis acceptable calcium carbonate along with 0.001 to 12 wt % of flavors
flavoring agent to enhance flavor delivery.
2. The toothpowder composition as claimed in claim 1. wherein the poloxamer 407 has
particle size ranging from 1 micron to 150 micron so as to provide large surface area
favouring co-operatixe molecular interaction between said poloxamer 407 and flax ours.
3. The toothpowder composition as claimed in claims 1 and 2. wherein ratio between said
poloxamer 407 and said flavor is 1:2.
4. The toothpowder composition as claimed in claims 1 to 3. wherein wt °o of poloxamer
407 ranges preferably from 0.01 to 5.0.
5. The toothpowder composition as claimed in claims l to 3. xvherein the flaxors flaxoring
agent selected from group consisting of peppermint oil. eucalyptus oil. spearmint oil.
wintergreen oil (methyl salicyclate) and or those derixed from fruits selected from the
group consisting of strawberry, raspbenx. papaya, apple, pineapple, banana, lime, lemon,
orange: and or flaxor oils flaxoring agents selected from the group of spices consisting
o\' cinnamon, cloxe. basil, nutmeg, anise, thyme, rosemary, olixe. menthol, ginger,
pepper, capsicum, camphor, eugenol. vanillin, and any other mixture.
6. The toothpoxxder composition as claimed in claims 1 to 3. xxherein wt. % of the flaxor
preferably ranges from 0.001 to 10.
7. The toothpoxxder composition as claimed in claim 1 comprises 65 to %% calcium
carbonate.
8. The toothpowder composition as claimed in claim 1 further comprising 0.01 to 1.0 wt. %
sodium saccharin.
9. The toothpowder composition as claimed in claim 1 further comprising 0.01-2.0 wt. °o
citric acid.
10. The toothpowder composition as claimed in claim 1 further comprising 0.1 to 0.76 wt. %
sodium monofluorophosphate.
11. The toothpowder composition as claimed in claim 1 further comprising 0.1- 30 wt. °o
dicalcium phosphate dihydrate.

A tooth powder composition having enhanced flavor delivery, said composition comprising 0.1 to 10 wt % of poloxamer 407 in its solid state having desirable particle size dispersed in an orally acceptable calcium carbonate along with 0.001 to 12 wt % of flavors, flavoring agent to enhance flavor delivery.