Methodology: How We Score Fluoride-Free Toothpaste

25

Remineralization system

Which hydroxyapatite the formula uses, at what concentration, and how it is delivered.

Full marks: Both nano and micro particles present, at a published concentration inside the clinically studied range.
No marks: No hydroxyapatite, or a trace inclusion positioned below the flavoring in the ingredient list.

20

Formula purity

What the formula leaves out, and whether the omissions are principled or cosmetic.

Full marks: No SLS, no artificial dyes, no artificial sweeteners, and no ingredient present purely to change how the paste performs in an advertisement.
No marks: A long additive list where the active ingredient reads as an afterthought.

15

Ingredient transparency

How much the brand is willing to put in writing without being asked.

Full marks: Published concentration, named supplier, and clear labeling of particle size.
No marks: Marketing claims with no supporting numbers anywhere on the site or the box.

15

Daily experience

Taste, texture, foam, residue, and whether the tube behaves itself.

Full marks: Pleasant to use twice a day for a month without thinking about it.
No marks: Actively unpleasant enough that a reasonable person would abandon it.

15

Evidence quality

The quality of the research the brand rests its claims on.

Full marks: Clinical study of the finished formula, not just of the ingredient in the abstract.
No marks: Claims that outrun anything published, or citations that do not say what the brand implies.

10

Value

Price per ounce weighed against everything above.

Full marks: Category-leading formula at a price that does not punish you for it.
No marks: Premium pricing attached to an unremarkable formula.

Why these six

Most toothpaste roundups score on things that are easy to write about and hard to be wrong about: packaging, flavor, whether the founder has a good story. Those are real considerations and they belong somewhere near the bottom of the list.

The categories above are weighted toward the questions that actually vary between tubes and that a buyer cannot easily answer alone. Which particle size is in there. Whether the concentration is published. Whether the brand added something to the formula that undermines the reason you bought it. Forty-five of the hundred points sit in remineralization and purity because that is where the meaningful differences live.

How a product gets scored

We buy the product at retail. We read the full ingredient list off the physical label rather than the marketing page, because the two do not always agree. We record the published concentration where one exists and note its absence where it does not. We use the paste twice daily for at least four weeks before scoring the experience category, and we re-score the whole field on a quarterly cycle so that reformulations and price changes are caught.

Subscores are assigned first and the total is computed from them. We do not decide a ranking and reverse-engineer the numbers to fit it. Where a spec could not be confirmed against a current label, the review says so explicitly rather than presenting an estimate as fact.

Editorial standards

We do not accept payment for placement, and no brand sees a score before it is published. We do not run sponsored posts. Where a claim rests on research, we try to distinguish clearly between research on hydroxyapatite as an ingredient and research on a specific finished product, because brands routinely cite the first as though it were the second.

We also try not to overstate what any toothpaste can do. Hydroxyapatite contributes mineral to a demineralized surface. It does not regrow enamel, and it does not close a cavity that has already formed. Anything on this site that reads otherwise is an error and we would like to hear about it.

Corrections

Prices move, formulas get reworked, and we get things wrong. If something here is inaccurate, write to editor@floridefreetoothpaste.com and we will correct it and note the change. Rankings are re-scored every quarter.

Current totals

95 Klyyr 90 Boka 88 RiseWell 82 Apagard 84 Davids 83 Fygg 74 Bite