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Doctor Veronica Stahl, a dentist from Mortsel in Belgium, says cannabis is antibacterial and fights dental plaque.

And the painkilling effect of the toothpaste – called Cannabite Lifelong – could alleviate toothache and even treat pain from root canal surgery.

There is evidence cannabis extracts can safely treat chronic pain in adults, although research is ongoing in the UK and worldwide.

Dr Stahl, who is from Israel and is licensed to practice in the UK, says products that exploit the healing properties of cannabinoids could help millions of patients maintain their own natural teeth despite gum disease, cavities and other soft tissue diseases.

(Image: GETTY / NC)

She said: “We can reduce gum disease and pain.

“Our solutions, built on emerging medical research, relies on the natural extracts of the plant with healing properties and the human body’s endocannabinoid system (where the body can bind to cannabis).

“It's very exciting.”

Dr Stahl, who has 23 years’ experience in dentistry, admits there's stigma and misunderstanding among the public about the medical applications of cannabis.

“We don't use THC (the psychoactive component that gets smokers high),” she said

“It's absolutely not recreational. It's not just mixing cannabis into a toothpaste.

“Cannabis has very good medical properties and I'm quite sure that we can continue our research to help develop healing processes.

"With a root canal treatment, for example, the nerve is amputated.

(Image: NC)

"But that does not cure the nerve. We want to bring about a revolution in this field because we could maintain and cure the nerve."

Dr Stahl expects the toothpaste and other products to go to market in Europe within the next few years.

UK law still categorises cannabis as a Class B drug that is illegal to possess in any form.

However, cannabis-derived drugs such as CBD oil, also known as cannabidiol, are legal and have soared in popularity thanks to their perceived medicinal properties.

A 2017 report by the World Health Organisation (WHO) found that CBD could help relieve the symptoms of conditions such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis, and cancer.

It can also be used to treat general pain, anxiety and depression.

Additional reporting by Sam Webb