Student's fluoride-free toothpaste gets U.S. patent

By Cristina Cabrera Jarro -

MIAMI | Nikita Marino remembers when, as a child, she played in the dirt making “potions.”

“I had so many dreams when I was little. I wanted to be a soccer player. I wanted to be a singer. I wasn’t even thinking about science yet,” she told the Florida Catholic in a phone interview.

Now, the 17-year-old student from Immaculata-La Salle High can call herself a scientist, an inventor, and entrepreneur. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has approved one patent for a product she created, and a second patent application is under review.

In November 2020, she received the patent for Bite Bright, a fluoride-free toothpaste that is beneficial not only for oral health, but for overall health. With COVID-19 still a major concern, she believes the approval couldn’t come at a better time.

“I know there’s no cure for COVID, I mean now we have the vaccine. But I remember how everyone was trying to figure out ways to heighten their immune system so that they were not as easily susceptible to getting COVID. It brought me back to when I was doing research with my toothpaste formula, which boosts the immune system, is anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial,” said Nikita.

She created Bite Bright when she was a seventh grader living in Greenwich, Connecticut. Born and raised there, she attended Greenwich Catholic School, where science fairs and projects were taken seriously, especially in middle school. Students selected topics to research and test, or they invented something.

Nikita remembered “how my mom never wanted to buy us fluoride toothpaste because she knew that it was bad for us.”

Bubble gum flavored toothpaste is one of the most popular for kids, and parents who are just as eager for their kids to practice good dental hygiene. But it can be dangerous because of the fluoride. In fact, the Food and Drug Administration requires a poison warning on every tube of toothpaste containing fluoride sold in the U.S. Ingesting too much can be toxic and even deadly, especially for children under six, according to fluoridealert.org.

 

ALL-NATURAL, HEALTHY

“Based on that, I thought it would be a good idea to come up with a toothpaste that was fluoride-free, all natural, and healthy for you,” said Nikita.

She began researching products that could be used in toothpaste to also serve as whitener and teeth cleaner. Carol Ann Lutz, her science teacher, saw the depth of her interest, and recommended she look for mentors in the field.

“I had my own limitations because I was a 12-year-old girl,” Nikita said. “I wasn’t able to have access to a lot of information that I would have if I were older. But I’ve always been very outgoing and confident. I’ve never been shy to ask something. It just comes naturally to me. If I have a question, I’m not afraid to ask it.”

Nikita found two dentists, Steve Altman and David Zadik, who provided her with wisdom, as well as wisdom teeth and fluoride for testing. She also got help from Stephanie Seneff, a senior research scientist at the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who had researched the effects of fluoride on the human body.

In her basement “lab”, Nikita began creating toothpaste formulas and experimenting on the effects of fluoride on teeth. She tested the formulas on teeth soaked over time in Coke, coffee, Gatorade and water, and found the results she was hoping for.

At the Greenwich Catholic School science fair, she placed second and qualified to compete at the Connecticut Invention Convention, where she received two special awards. She also received an invitation to the National Invention Convention in Alexandria, Virginia.

 

STARTING A BUSINESS

It was after nationals that Nikita thought of sharing Bite Bright, becoming an entrepreneur, and starting a business that produced something helpful. With the aid of her mom, she submitted her request for a patent to protect the rights to her toothpaste formula.

“I was very happy with how everything was going, and how well my product turned out. I wanted to go through with it. I didn’t want to stop. I was making something to help others,” said Nikita.

In addition to Bite Bright, Nikita and her brother, Alex, co-created “FootShell,” a natural cream formula that deodorizes and relieves cracked, dry skin. That grew out of their mother encouraging them to find ways to relieve the smell generated by sweaty shoes, cleats, hockey and lacrosse gloves.

“No matter how much we washed our equipment, the smell just wouldn’t go away. My mom had told us that if we didn’t find anything, we should just make something for ourselves,” said Nikita.

The resulting formula took six months of testing with family and friends. The final product comes in a lemongrass or eucalyptus scent. At the insistence of a friend, the siblings began selling the cream locally, in a few sports retailers in Connecticut, and online through their website (footshell.com). Later, they received vendor approval from Amazon.

Now balancing school, home, a small business, and soccer, Nikita is looking forward to the approval of her next patent for her Oral Health Composition, or “vita gummies.” The base formula for the candy-like vitamin is similar to that of her toothpaste, and she also traces the idea behind it to her eighth-grade science fair. There are more technicalities involved in producing a vitamin, both in the lab and the packaging, but Nikita is not worried.

“I’m very innovative, in a way, and find weird, out-of-the-box ways to fix things,” said Nikita, who encourages others to follow their faith and creativity. “Do not be afraid of being creative. Be outgoing. Don’t be held back by fears of asking questions. Be confident in yourself. And do what makes you happy.”