NEW ORLEANS – When WDSU Channel 6 news first interviewd Tulane University scientist Arman Sadeghpour in 2007, he was working on his doctoral thesis. His goal was to find a natural compound to make teeth stronger, and he discovered that a compound that could do that was in an extract of the cocoa bean.
The hook was set for what sounds like every child’s dream – chocolate toothpaste.
“I thought he was a little crazy,” said Joseph Fuselier. “But, after hearing the story more and more, it sounded like there was huge, enormous potential in it.”
Now, after more than four years, countless tests, studies and FDA approvals, that crazy idea is about to hit the shelves.
“I feel great,” exclaimed Sadeghpour. “I feel really great about it. We are obviously very excited and it will come to life when it is on the shelves.”
Theodent, in a chocolaty brown tube and extra strength Theodent 300, which will be marketed to dentist offices, will be available on the Internet and in Whole Foods Stores at the beginning of the year.
The company is one of the first tenants of the new Bio Innovation Technology Center on Canal Street.
Despite the recent success, Sadeghpour said he’s found that taking an idea from doctoral thesis to the lab and turning it into a company has its hurdles.
Dr. Tetso Nakamoto, a partner in the development, said there were times he considered giving up.
“But, I never give up.”
The driving force, they all believe, is that this extract from cocoa, now a proprietary blend known as Rennou, will actually replace fluoride as a key component in all toothpastes.
“It’s definitely a replacement for fluoride,” said Sadeghpour. “Ultimately, that’s our goal.”
But for now it’s about making Theodent stand out against the massive pharmaceutical companies that have dominated the market for decades.
“It’s more like selling a Mercedes than a Pinto,” said Fusilier. “We’re selling the Mercedes of toothpastes.”
The company says it won’t compete with the big boys on a low cost price level, so it will focus on the science of stronger teeth – all coming from a natural product like chocolate.
“We know that this technology is better than fluoride,” said Fusilier. “It re-mineralizes teeth. It actually strengthens the enamel. We stand behind it.”
And, they believe that after the sacrifice of years of work on only one thing, the outcome will be pre-determined.
“It will be a success,” said Sadeghpour. “It definitely will be.”
Posted By: Siebra Muhammad
Friday, October 28th 2011 at 12:57PM
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