132
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
this post was submitted on 30 Apr 2025
132 points (99.3% liked)
news
24001 readers
797 users here now
Welcome to c/news! Please read the Hexbear Code of Conduct and remember... we're all comrades here.
Rules:
-- PLEASE KEEP POST TITLES INFORMATIVE --
-- Overly editorialized titles, particularly if they link to opinion pieces, may get your post removed. --
-- All posts must include a link to their source. Screenshots are fine IF you include the link in the post body. --
-- If you are citing a twitter post as news please include not just the twitter.com in your links but also nitter.net (or another Nitter instance). There is also a Firefox extension that can redirect Twitter links to a Nitter instance: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/libredirect/ or archive them as you would any other reactionary source using e.g. https://archive.today . Twitter screenshots still need to be sourced or they will be removed --
-- Mass tagging comm moderators across multiple posts like a broken markov chain bot will result in a comm ban--
-- Repeated consecutive posting of reactionary sources, fake news, misleading / outdated news, false alarms over ghoul deaths, and/or shitposts will result in a comm ban.--
-- Neglecting to use content warnings or NSFW when dealing with disturbing content will be removed until in compliance. Users who are consecutively reported due to failing to use content warnings or NSFW tags when commenting on or posting disturbing content will result in the user being banned. --
-- Using April 1st as an excuse to post fake headlines, like the resurrection of Kissinger while he is still fortunately dead, will result in the poster being thrown in the gamer gulag and be sentenced to play and beat trashy mobile games like 'Raid: Shadow Legends' in order to be rehabilitated back into general society. --
founded 4 years ago
MODERATORS
no im serious not only is toothpaste uneccesary to good oral hygiene but numerous peer reviewed published studies show that not only does it not help you clean your teeth better but brushing without it often leads to better results
another fun one: there is no good science behind flossing. the usa is one of the only countries that still pushes it. some countries that used to push it have stopped because the studies just dont show any significant benefit
Gonna have to ask you to go right ahead and cite those multiple peer reviewed studies that indicate toothpaste and flossing are counterproductive to oral hygiene.
This article talks about a review of studies about flossing but the link is no longer valid: https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/03/health/flossing-teeth-cavities.html?_r=0
As far as I know not a single official dental association in Europe recommends flossing. The UK used to. They stopped. But for flossing the information about it not actually be very effective (or not at all) is all over the internet. Between flossing and toothpaste the flossing stuff is the most dubious. It's only useful if you have something stuck and need an extra bit of help dislodging it. Or if you just enjoy the feeling? Some people are strange like that.
Here is a study on dry-brushing vs wet-brushing. They are just as effective as each other. (57% vs 58%) So adding some wetness (water) doesn't do anything. I mention this one as a sort of control: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/idh.12358
Here is a good one that looks at multiple studies from Journal of Clinical Periodontalogy. Main findings - "On average, 49.2% of plaque was removed when brushing was performed with a dentifrice, and 50.3% of plaque was removed when toothbrushing was performed without a dentifrice." So, dentrifice or "toothpaste", was actually slightly less effective (though not statistically significantly so) than brushing with it: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27513809/
I can find some more studies if you like. The conventional wisdom and scientifically supported wisdom is that plaque is removed by the mechanical process of brushing. Toothpaste provides fluoride and can be especially beneficial in environments where fluoride is lacking from natural sources. To be clear, there are indigenous people around the world who do not use toothpaste but have a good fluoride content naturally in their water. Such communities who practice regular mechanical teeth cleaning tend to have good dental outcomes.
If you live in the USA or another country that fluoridates your water you are most likely fine (I'm not a dentist so I can't actually give you any advice). If you also supplement it with something like mouthwash, fluoride powder, toothpaste or anything else fluoridated you are definitely fine. You really do not need to obsess over it at all.
What I will say is a big strike against toothpaste is much of it has all kind of nasty additives. Soaps. Microplastics. All kinds of shit.
As far as control for bad breath brushing and mouthwash do all the work. You don't need toothpaste at all. If you are concerned about bad breath carry around one of those tiny travel toothbrushes and brush after every meal. You can do it without toothpaste! Super easy to pop into a bathroom and just have a quick brush. That pretty much controls bad breath entirely. In over a decade of not using toothpaste I've never had issues with bad breath nor has my wife ever had an issue with my breath. Brush the old food out yo teefs and you good.