A RASH of health care articles in recent issues of popular men’s and women’s magazines have investigated the following question: Is toothpaste a waste of money? The same answer is given when the easier question, whether the use perfume is necessary. Some articles feature comments from dentists who agree that toothpaste can be considered a waste of money. But do not be too hasty in your judgment. You can be wrong. The answer the dentists and researchers gave is based on the fact that patients can brush with plain water if they want and yet remove all the plaque which cause disease. However, they might be doing themselves a disservice without paste.

It is true that it is the brushing action and not the paste itself that removes the debris and cleans the teeth, though brushing with water does not get teeth cleaner than brushing with toothpaste. But toothpaste offers several advantages. The most important is that if you use a paste containing fluoride, you get proven action against cavities. That alone makes toothpaste worth the money.

Toothpaste contains mild abrasives that may help with cleaning and allow the sudsing agents to carry away debris. In fact, one relatively new paste, Colgate Total, even contains an antibacterial agent –Triclosan — that has been shown in clinical trials to reduce gingivitis.

Toothpaste generally has a good flavour and makes your mouth feel clean, so it serves as an important motivator, particularly for children. Some persons use baking soda instead of toothpaste. Baking soda cleans effectively, and you can save money by using it. In addition, it actually prevents the process of tooth decay, because the alkaline nature of this compound neutralizes the harmful acid found in dental plaque.

But in that case, you should add a fluoride rinse to your brushing routine. So, if you are going to buy a fluoride rinse, you probably should just go ahead and buy fluoridated toothpaste.

It is important not to depend on your toothpaste alone to provide you with protection against dental diseases. All toothpaste and mouth rinses do is to re-enforce your cleaning regime.

I think that going without toothpaste sounds a bit Spartan. As a dentist, I would strongly recommend that my patients use toothpaste. It is a wise investment if you want your teeth to last a lifetime. The active ingredients are being improved with time.

However, the point to remember is that it is not necessary for plaque control. And as you should know, oral hygiene is about the effective control of dental plaque. One should not therefore dismiss their brushing routine if one suddenly discovers that there is no toothpaste immediately available.