Can Orlistat cause side effects on teeth?

Question

Hi doctor,

I am going to start taking Xenical or Orlistat for about a month. Can you tell me what the side effects on the teeth are? Does it cause them to fall out or weaken them?

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

Orlistat has no direct effect on calcium and vitamin D levels of the body, so a direct effect on teeth is not there. However, in very rare cases, mild bleeding from gums have been documented, but they are insignificant cases.

Orlistat works by inhibiting gastric and pancreatic lipases, the enzymes that break down triglycerides in the intestine. When lipase activity is blocked, triglycerides from the diet are not hydrolyzed into absorbable free fatty acids, and instead, they are excreted unchanged. It has no direct or indirect effect on the calcium or vitamin D levels. So, I do not think they have any specific effect on teeth.

Thank you.