Early Childhood Caries: Epidemiology, Aetiology, and Prevention

Table 1

Main ingredients for children's toothpastes (up to 6 years).

Ingredient	Function/comments	References
Silica- or calcium carbonate-based abrasives with low RDA value (RDA: radioactive dentin abrasion)	Plaque removal, gentle cleaning of deciduous teeth	[94]
Hydroxyapatite, ACP-CPP, fluorides in low concentrations	Remineralization	[45, 88]
Hydroxyapatite	Reduction of bacterial adhesion to enamel surfaces due to antiadhesive properties	[82, 84]
Surfactants	Foaming action, due to irritant properties, children's toothpaste should not contain any sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS)	[69]
Preservatives/antimicrobial agents	Due to risk of swallowing, children's toothpaste should not contain any potent antimicrobial agents such as chlorhexidine or triclosan, but mild preservatives (e.g., alkanediols or xylitol as antimicrobial agent)	[69, 95]