Fluoride-Free Toothpaste with Stevia

Many people say that teeth should be brushed with fluoride toothpaste because fluoride is the only way to prevent tooth decay. Is this really true? The answer is simple and short: No. Even though numerous studies prove that fluoride is able to protect teeth from caries to a high degree, there are definitely a variety of other measures that do the same. In addition, the fact that fluoride is safe for the teeth cannot be generalised to the whole body. In short, teeth can be adequately protected without fluoride.

In most cases, fluoride-free toothpastes do not contain any harmful additives. However, this is only the case with toothpastes from the natural cosmetics sector. Others contain, for example, sodium lauryl sulphate and triclosan (both substances that irritate the mucous membranes and damage the intestinal flora), PEG derivatives (harmful to the skin) or preservative parabens (hormone-like effect).

In contrast to fluoride, the majority of fluoride-free toothpastes have natural ingredients that protect against caries, but at the same time do not have any overall health-damaging potential.

Furthermore, when using a toothpaste, it is important not to think exclusively about dental health, but also about the effects on the entire body.

Although a fluoridated toothpaste can protect the teeth, it is rather harmful for the human organism as a whole. Fluorides can accumulate in the entire body and cause additional stress.

Now, all the information on the subject could give you the impression that there are two possibilities: I eat healthy and use toothpaste without fluoride, or I drink and eat only unhealthy things, but then have to resort to fluoridated toothpaste.

On closer analysis, it was found that the toothpaste without fluoride even performed minimally better. The amount of caries bacteria decreased by 90% in the fluoridated group. In the group of children who used fluoride-free toothpaste, it even decreased by 91%. The researchers said that both types of toothpaste are suitable for preventing tooth decay.

Another, somewhat older study by the University of Wales could also not prove any difference in the effectiveness of both types of toothpaste. The study tested the effectiveness of herbal toothpaste and fluoride toothpaste against gingivitis and plaque.

In 2015, scientists published the results of another study in the Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, which also compared a fluoride toothpaste with a fluoride-free herbal toothpaste. Even though the fluoridated toothpaste was able to convince with a slight superiority in the tests here, the researchers found that the fluoride toothpaste contains triclosan. Triclosan is a chemical disinfectant that has a harmful effect on the human organism. This ingredient alone seems to be largely responsible for the high antimicrobial effect.

The evidence for the caries-protection effect of fluoride toothpastes is in many cases not conclusive. The supposedly so successful drinking water fluoridation is very often and readily cited as evidence. It is often said that in countries where drinking water is fluoridated, there are significantly fewer cancer patients.

In 2015, scientists from the Cochrane Collaboration analysed over 150 studies on this topic and came to a rather sobering conclusion:

The majority of studies were conducted before 1975. The study standards of that time are hardly comparable with those of today. Some studies could not even be used for analysis due to inadequate study designs. About 97 percent of the studies also had an increased risk of systematic errors.

If you have decided to use fluoride toothpaste, be sure to pay attention to its ingredients. Some toothpastes also contain calcium carbonate. With this combination, it can happen that the two substances combine to form a complex. The effect of fluoride is largely lost in this process.

The results of the respective studies are therefore only of limited significance. Scientists also agree that in children under six years of age, one has to weigh the risk of fluorosis against caries prevention.