Evidence based toothpaste classification, according to certain characteristics of their chemical composition.

Toothpastes are daily oral care products, the chemical composition of which is constantly changing due to manufacturer's competition. It becomes more and more difficult for dentists to recommend the best toothpaste and for patients to choose one. The objective of this paper was to draw out recommendations based on the best evidence available and to propose a new classification of toothpastes. Publications were searched in PubMed database (published between 1991-2011, limited to English language articles in dental journals). Recommendations for toothpaste choice and usage were developed from the best evidence available.