Migraine headaches affect approximately 40% of the population and is one of the most prevalent and disabling neurological disorders worldwide. Although there are currently several medications available for the prevention of migraine attacks a majority of patients, with chronic and episodic migraines have experienced treatment failure, which greatly affects their personal, social and professional lives. Commonly used migraine preventive therapies such as topiramate, propranolol, amitriptyline and valproate may have unacceptable side effects leading to poor adherence.
Few recent papers have implicated substances in toothpaste to trigger headache attacks. Multiple ingredients in commonly used toothpaste such as nitrates, fluorides, benzoate, sorbitol, eucalyptol, camphor, etc., have the potential to cause headaches.
In this randomized physician-blinded controlled pilot exploratory study, the investigators report the impact of toothpaste cessation on headache frequency and severity in patients with migraine headaches (PwM).
