Here’s the ingredients you need in your toothpaste (and the ones to avoid)

Does it really make a difference which brand of toothpaste you choose - and which supposedly ‘magic ingredients’ it contains?

Actually, yes, according to Kelly-Anne Evans, a dentist and lecturer at Australia’s CQUniversity in an essay for The Conversation.

Kelly-Anne Evans says, ‘More than a decade of evidence shows using a fluoride toothpaste twice a day results in less decay.

But what about the other ingredients touted in the toothpastes on supermarket shelves?

Paying extra for ‘whitening’ toothpaste with peroxide may be a waste of money, Evans warns.

Evans says, ‘Whitening toothpastes work primarily by increasing the abrasiveness of the product. Mild abrasives help keep teeth clean and prevent staining.

‘Abrasives might be listed as phosphates, carbonates, silica compounds or aluminium compounds.

‘Some whitening toothpastes also contain hydrogen peroxide.But at the percentages added to toothpaste, there is no strong evidence for its effectiveness.

Evans also says that ‘sensitive’ toothpastes contain a confusingly large number of ingredients - many of which aren’t proven to work..

She says, ‘My recommendation is to find a desensitising product that contains fluoride that is effective for you. If it has some additional benefits, consider that a bonus.