Oral Care Composition A Polymer That Helps Protect Tooth Enamel From Demineralisation

This patent describes an oral care composition built around a specially designed polymer that is used in the mouth to help stop teeth from losing minerals. It comes from Kenvue, the consumer health company spun out of Johnson & Johnson.

The Problem

Tooth enamel is constantly under attack. Acids produced by bacteria after we eat, and acids in food and drink, dissolve minerals out of the enamel surface in a process called demineralisation. The mouth can repair some of this through remineralisation, but when the balance tips toward loss, the enamel weakens and cavities can form. Fluoride helps, but there is ongoing interest in additional ingredients that can be delivered to the tooth surface and reduce mineral loss, especially formulations that stay where they are needed long enough to work.

What This Invention Does

The composition pairs an orally acceptable carrier with a cationic copolymer, meaning a polymer carrying a positive electrical charge. The copolymer is made by polymerising n-vinyl pyrrolidone, a well-known and safe building block often abbreviated PVP, together with cationic monomers that contain amine groups. The patent also describes making the polymer with monomers that contain amide groups and then converting them to amines. Because the resulting polymer is positively charged, it is attracted to the tooth surface, which carries a negative charge, so it tends to adhere where it is applied. Used in the mouth, these compositions are intended to inhibit the demineralisation of a tooth, meaning to slow or reduce the loss of minerals from enamel. The filing covers both the compositions and their use in the oral cavity for this protective purpose.

Key Features

• Cationic copolymer. A positively charged polymer that is drawn to the tooth surface.
• Vinyl pyrrolidone base. Built on n-vinyl pyrrolidone, a familiar and safe monomer.
• Amine chemistry. Cationic character comes from amine groups, including via amide groups converted to amines.
• Demineralisation control. The composition is used to inhibit mineral loss from enamel.
• Oral care carrier. The polymer is delivered in an orally acceptable carrier suitable for use in the mouth.

Who Is Behind It

The applicant is Kenvue Brands LLC, part of Kenvue, the world’s largest pure-play consumer health company and the home of well-known oral care and personal care brands. The named inventors are Daniel Queiroz, Chantel Tester, Michael C. Giano, Rebecca Chen, and Robert J. Gambogi. This filing is a divisional application from earlier related applications.

Why It Matters

Tooth decay is one of the most widespread chronic conditions in the world, and everyday products such as toothpastes and rinses are the front line of prevention. An ingredient that clings to enamel and reduces mineral loss could strengthen the protective effect of consumer oral care products. Securing the formulation in Australia supports the company’s interest in the local oral care market.

Related Concepts

• Tooth enamel – the surface the composition sets out to protect.
• Tooth decay – the broader problem demineralisation leads to.
• Polyvinylpyrrolidone – the polymer family the active ingredient is based on.
• Oral hygiene – the everyday care context for the product.
• Kenvue – the company behind the application.

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AU 2026201942 was published in the Australian Official Journal of Patents on 2 April 2026 and is open for public inspection. Patent applications represent inventions that are sought to be protected and do not necessarily reflect commercially available products.