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Not all children enjoy brushing their teeth (icon image)
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According to the magazine "Öko-Test", too many children's toothpastes still contain the white coloring agent titanium dioxide.
Since it cannot be ruled out that it damages the genetic material, it has been banned in food since August 2022.
Titanium dioxide is currently still permitted in cosmetics, including toothpaste.
If the manufacturers use the substance, they must indicate this on the packaging.
It usually hides behind the abbreviation »CI 77891«.
“Öko-Test” means that the substance no longer has any place in cosmetics that can be swallowed.
However, titanium dioxide was detected in five of the children's toothpastes examined for the current issue of the magazine, and they failed the test.
Among them are the "Blend-A-Med Blendi Gel, Strawberry Flavor" and the "Odol-Med 3 First Teeth".
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Overall, "Öko-Test" examined 24 toothpastes for children from birth to six years, including seven certified natural cosmetic products and seven pastes without fluoride.
Lead was detected in the natural cosmetics product »Ben & Anna Toothpaste Strawberry Fluoride for Kids«.
It is not a permitted ingredient for cosmetics and could have gotten into the cream through other permitted, contaminated ingredients.
According to "Öko-Test", however, the measured content was above what the Federal Office for Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL) considers to be technically unavoidable traces.
In the test, the toothpaste received the overall rating »insufficient«.
Fluoride for caries protection
The testers also looked at the fluoride content of the creams and based their assessment on the recommendations of the »Healthy Life« expert network.
According to this, a fluoride-free toothpaste can still be used in the first year of life if the babies are given fluoride tablets at the same time.
From the age of twelve months, however, experts recommend the use of a fluoride toothpaste.
According to "Öko-Test", however, this indication is missing on the tested fluoride-free toothpastes.
A total of four toothpastes scored “very well”: the “Bevola Naturals Kids Tooth Gel with Strawberry and Raspberry Flavor” and the “Bevola Kids Tooth Gel with Strawberry Flavor”, both of which are available from Kaufland.
The "Putzi toothpaste for children" (dental cosmetics) and the "Tabaluga tooth gel for children with strawberry flavor" from Edeka are also among the test winners.
They all convinced the testers with a sufficient fluoride content of 1000 milligrams per kilogram and are free of questionable ingredients.
mar/dpa
