A new toothpaste for sensitive teeth created by a former head of the Sensodyne brand and with the financial backing of a group of UK dentists has gone on sale in the UK.

S3 Sensitivity Science, with a recommended retail price of ยฃ19.99, has been developed by former global head of Sensodyne Mick Cox and former formulating chemist at GSK Majedeh Mazraei.

Mr Cox headed up Sensodyne for eight years, while Ms Mazraei worked on the formulation of dental products while at GSK.

The brand said it had the financial backing of more than 20 practising dentists.

Independent testing at Reading University suggested S3 was effective at blocking dentine tubules โ€“ the channels that can cause sensitivity when exposed, S3 said.

Mr Cox said S3โ€™s โ€œtriple-action approachโ€ โ€“ using 5% potassium nitrate to calm nerves, 10% nano-hydroxyaptite to block the dentine tubules and biomimetic-hydroxyapatite and fluoride to protect teeth, was a โ€œgenuine step-change for the category and, more importantly, for the patients that suffer from sensitive teethโ€.

The UK oral care market is worth more than ยฃ1 billion, with sensitivity representing approximately 50% of the category, according to Market Data Forecast figures.