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Brushing your teeth is important for healthy teeth (symbol image)
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Whether with a manual toothbrush or an electric toothbrush: we all have to brush our teeth.
But which toothpaste protects well against tooth decay and which reliably removes discolouration?
Stiftung Warentest tested 31 different toothpastes.
Five were rated as very good, including inexpensive toothpastes such as “Dontodent toothpaste antibacterial” from dm and “Bevola toothpaste fresh” from Kaufland.
Eleven pastes each received the grade good or satisfactory.
The toothpastes with the quality rating "very good" are characterized, among other things, by the fact that they contain no titanium dioxide.
The pigment colors the pastes white, but according to Stiftung Warentest it is unnecessary for dental care.
Titanium dioxide was considered harmless for a long time, but the EU has now banned the use of the additive in food due to possible cancer risks.
So far, however, the ban does not apply to cosmetics.
A look at the ingredients provides information
A total of 21 of the 31 toothpastes tested contained titanium dioxide.
According to the Stiftung Warentest, toothpastes only contribute a little to the total amount of titanium dioxide absorbed, which is why the detection of the substance was not evaluated very strictly.
The toothpastes that contain the additive were therefore devalued by one grade in the quality assessment.
For reasons of preventive consumer protection, Stiftung Warentest recommends using pastes without the additive.
Consumers can tell whether a toothpaste contains titanium dioxide by looking at the ingredients.
It says "Titanium Dioxide" or the abbreviation "CI 77891".
This could be the case even more rarely in the future: the suppliers of nine toothpastes informed Stiftung Warentest that they want to remove titanium dioxide from their products.
It was also tested how well the pastes remove discolouration caused by coffee, tea or smoking.
The cleaning effect depends on the level of abrasion.
According to the Stiftung Warentest, creams with little abrasion are advisable for people with sensitive teeth or exposed tooth necks.
The products »Dontodent« and »Bevola« are recommended here.
If you have insensitive teeth, you can also use products with higher abrasion.
The "Meridol gum protection toothpaste" with medium abrasion and the "Oral-B Professional Pro-Repair Extra fresh" with high abrasion cleaned discoloration well or very well and received the overall quality rating of "very good".
The fluoride content of the toothpastes was also particularly important for the testers' verdict.
The trace element makes teeth more resistant to acids and protects them from tooth decay.
However, four of the products tested did not contain any fluoride and, in the opinion of the testers, therefore do not provide sufficient protection against tooth decay.
The "Bioniq Repair Toothpaste", "Ajona Medical Toothpaste Concentrate", "Sante Dental Med Tooth Gel Vitamin B12 fluoride-free" and the "Weleda Calendula Toothpaste" were therefore rated "inadequate" and were not tested further.
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