July 20, 2022, 9:03 am | Read time: 2 minutes
To ensure cavities don’t stand a chance in children’s mouths, a thorough toothbrushing routine is essential, of course. And a good children’s toothpaste. However, according to “Stiftung Warentest,” it’s not easy to find one.
Parents expect two main things from a children’s toothpaste: that it effectively protects their children’s teeth from cavities and contains no harmful substances. But which product delivers on this promise? Far too few. This was the sobering conclusion reached by the testers at “Stiftung Warentest,” who closely examined children’s toothpaste. Only a few products were convincing. Of the 21 children’s toothpastes tested, nine received a poor rating. Only three toothpastes received a good or very good rating (issue 8/2022). But what exactly did the testers criticize?
Overview
The Test Winners
The “Kinder-Zahnpasta” from Elmex (rating 1.1) was the most convincing, followed by the “Kinderzahnpasta Meine Freundin Conni/Feuerwehrmann Sam” from Signal (rating 1.2). In third place was the “Kids Zahnpasta Frozen/Cars” from Oral-B (rating 1.8). However, according to the manufacturer, the latter is to be discontinued.
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Lower Ratings for the Remaining Products
And the remaining products? They received lower ratings for two reasons. Reason one: the fluoride content. According to the testers, nine children’s toothpastes did not contain enough fluoride. This ingredient forms a protective film around the tooth and protects against cavities.
Some pastes even completely forgo fluoride and rely on other substances to protect the teeth–including hydroxyapatite. However, according to “Stiftung Warentest,” the evidence regarding its effectiveness is sparse.
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Titanium Dioxide Leads to Point Deduction
The second reason “Stiftung Warentest” deducted points in the evaluation of children’s toothpaste: titanium dioxide. The dye was detected in about every second product. According to the testers, it cannot be ruled out that titanium dioxide damages genetic material.
For the testers, it is clear: A children’s toothpaste containing titanium dioxide cannot receive a good overall rating–even if it contains enough fluoride.
With material from dpa