Over the years there have been many different companies that have tried their hand at making dental care products, with brands such as Colgate and Sensodyne being particularly famous when it comes to toothpaste.

However, by far one of the strangest brands to attempt to create a product that helps keep teeth healthy was the Swedish munitions manufacturer Bofors. 

Despite the somewhat dubious credentials a company better known for marking artillery would face transitioning into what they euphemistically called “peacetime products”, this was far more than a white-label good or a lazy effort.

In 1968, the toothpaste launched with a set of artificial sweeteners and a mechanic that was actually four decades ahead of its time by featuring microbeads as an abrasive.

In retrospect, the harm caused by microbead products to the environment and human health is a major reason why such products are banned. However, it would take just three years for Bofors’ planned peacetime products line to be abruptly halted.

Reports were made that the beads would remain in the human body and could become a carcinogenic substance that could contribute to cancer.

This was during a time when radiotherapy and chemotherapy were still relatively new and doctors did not have the knowledge they have now about the causes of cancer or how to detect and treat it.

There has been no verified proof that the Bofors microbeads would stay in the body or cause health problems, but the reputation of the arms company worked against it, as people associated the toothpaste with their primary products that aim to cause harm.

After consumers could not be assured of the toothpaste’s safety, Bofors took it off of the market in 1971 and has since been split in half, with each piece having been purchased by BAE Systems and Saab respectively.

Microbeads would be used in a range of dental health and personal care products until they started to be progressively banned throughout the world. The United Kingdom banned microbeads from sale starting in June 2018.