Abrasiveness Index of Common Toothpastes

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Relative Dentin Abrasivity (RDA) is a method of measuring the erosive effect of abrasives in toothpastes on tooth dentin. This value is necessary for FDA approval of the toothpaste but is usually not required to be disclosed on the label. In order to be FDA approved, the RDA must be 200 or lower. It is recommended to use a toothpaste with a RDA of 70 or lower. The lower the number, the less enamel/dentin will be worn away. The best way to know your toothpaste’s RDA is to ask the company. Here is a chart to help in understanding what the number means:

Table:

Low Abrasive:                                    0-70

Medium Abrasive:                           70-100

Highly Abrasive:                                100-150

Regarded as Harmful Limit:          150-250

 

This chart lists some common toothpastes that can be found in stores or online with their RDA value. This chart is courtesy of Kois Center located in Seattle, WA.

Abrasiveness Index of Common Toothpastes:

(RDA#- Toothpaste Brand Name)

0- Livionex

4- Toothbrush with Plain Water

7- Plain Baking Soda

8- Arm & Hammer (A&H) Tooth Powder

15- Weleda Salt Toothpaste

18.5- CariFree CTx4 Gel 1100/5000

18.5- CariFree CTx3 Gel

30- Elmex Sensitive Plus

30- Weleda Plant Tooth Gel

34- Pronamel

35- A&H Dental Care

40- Weleda Children’s Tooth Gel

42- A&H Metadent Advance Whitening

44- Squiggle Enamel Saver

45- Weleda Calendula Toothpaste

45- Weleda Pink Toothpaste with Ratanhia

45- Oxyfresh

48- A&H Dental Care Seneitive

49- Tom’s of Maine Sensitive

49- A&H Peroxicare Tartar Control

51- Crest with Scope

52- A&H Peroxicare Regular

52- Healthy Teeth & Gums

53- Rembrandt Original

53- Closys

54- A&H Dental Care PM Bold Mint

57- PerioSciences White Care

57- Tom’s of Maine Children’s

60- Biotene Gel

62- Clinpro 5000

62- Supersmile

63- Rembrandt Mint

65- Colgate Prevident 5000 Plus

65- Colgate Enamel Care Advance White

65- Crest with Scope Whitening

68- Colgate Regular

70- Colgate Total

70- A&H Advance White Sensitive

70- Colgate 2-in1 Fresh Mint

74- Crest Rejuvenating Effects Liquid Gel

75- Prevident 5000 Booster

79- Sensodyne

80- Aim

80- Biotene Paste with Fluoride

83- Colgate Sensitive Max Strength

91- Aquafresh Sensitive

93- Tom’s of Maine Regular

94- Rembrandt Plus

94- Plus White

95- Oxyfresh with Fluoride

95- Crest Regular

97- Oxyfresh Powder

100- Colgate Enamel Care Natural White

100- Colgate Optic White

101- Natural White

103- Mentadent

103- A&H Sensation

104- Sensodyne Extra Whitening

106- Colgate Platinum

106- A&H Advance White Extreme White

107- Crest Sensitivity Protection

109- Topex ReNew

109- Colgate Tartar Control w/ Baking Soda

110- Colgate Herbal

110- Amway Glister

113- Aquafresh Whitening

117- A&H Advance White Gel

117- A&H Sensation Tartar Control

117- Fluoridex Daily Defense

120- Close Up with Baking Soda

120- Crest Extra White w/ Tartar Protection

124- Colgate Whitening

126- Crest Maximum Sensitivity

130- Crest Extra Whitening

133- Ultra Brite

139- Crest MultiCare Fresh Mint

140- Crest Pro-Health

144- Crest MultiCare Whitening

145- Colgate Baking Soda Whitening

146- Ultra Brite Advanced White Formula

150- Pepsodent

155- Crest Rejuvenating Effects

165- Colgate Tartar Control

175- Colgate Luminos

200 -Colgate 2-in-1 Tartar Control/White

200- FDA Recommended Limit

250- ADA Recommended Limit

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Scheumann Dental Associates

10 Comments

  1. Brian Rovan on June 21, 2021 at 1:58 AM

    There is no such toothpaste labeled 65- (Colgate Enamel Care Advance White) Please confirm, where can I purchase?

    • Scheumann Dental Associates on June 21, 2021 at 4:19 PM

      We tried searching for this paste, but were unable to find it online. This list might be out of date. You might search for a toothpaste abrasivity list with a date of this year, 2021.

  2. Manette Berlinger on June 24, 2021 at 11:37 PM

    How do you rate Dr. Bronner’s cinnamon toothpaste?

    • Scheumann Dental Associates on June 28, 2021 at 11:09 AM

      Great question! Thanks for asking. As there are so many different types of toothpaste brands out there, we do not have the information for all of them on hand. We will work on getting this information for you and will let you know once we do

      • Scheumann Dental Associates on August 25, 2021 at 8:08 AM

        We reached out to the company to inquire about their RDA value. The company still has not gotten back to us. This could indicate they do not know the RDA value for their toothpaste. We looked up the ingredients in the toothpaste you asked about, Dr Bronner’s cinnamon toothpaste. It is fluoride free. We do recommend that if you are choosing a fluoride-free toothpaste, you look for a toothpaste that contains xylitol. We did not see xylitol listed as an ingredient in Dr Bronner’s toothpaste. Xylitol is a sweetener (sugar alcohol) that has positive dental benefits. Xylitol has been found to be promising in reducing dental caries and reversing the process of early cavities in studies. It is a great alternative for those wishing to choose fluoride free products. Some toothpastes that are fluoride free but contain xylitol are: Tom’s of Maine fluoride free toothpastes and Squigle Tooth Builder.

    • Scheumann Dental Associates on August 25, 2021 at 8:09 AM

      We reached out to the company to inquire about their RDA value. The company still has not gotten back to us. This could indicate they do not know the RDA value for their toothpaste. We looked up the ingredients in the toothpaste you asked about, Dr Bronner’s cinnamon toothpaste. It is fluoride free. We do recommend that if you are choosing a fluoride-free toothpaste, you look for a toothpaste that contains xylitol. We did not see xylitol listed as an ingredient in Dr Bronner’s toothpaste. Xylitol is a sweetener (sugar alcohol) that has positive dental benefits. Xylitol has been found to be promising in reducing dental caries and reversing the process of early cavities in studies. It is a great alternative for those wishing to choose fluoride free products. Some toothpastes that are fluoride free but contain xylitol are: Tom’s of Maine fluoride free toothpastes and Squigle Tooth Builder.

  3. Melissa on September 28, 2022 at 3:31 AM

    How about Hello toothpaste? I haven’t been able to find the RDA for that brand.

    • Scheumann Dental Associates on November 3, 2022 at 10:59 AM

      Last we checked with the company, they did not give specific values. They said their toothpaste is well within the ISO standard for enamel safety (This means less than 250).

  4. Lela on February 13, 2023 at 12:14 PM

    Is Crest whitening strips bad for your teeth and gums?

    • Scheumann Dental Associates on February 15, 2023 at 7:24 AM

      As long as you use them as instructed on the packaging they are not harmful to your teeth or gums.

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