RDA toothpaste chart: how abrasive common toothpastes are
An RDA toothpaste chart ranks pastes by Relative Dentin Abrasivity, a laboratory score in which a reference abrasive is set at 100 and the American Dental Association treats anything at or below 250 as safe for daily use. Most charts online carry no source per row, so the table below lists only figures a manufacturer or a published study states.
What the RDA score measures
The ADA and other bodies standardized the method, and the test plus its 250 limit is now written into ISO 11609, the international dentifrice standard. Radiolabelled dentin is brushed with a paste slurry under a fixed load, and the material lost is compared with the reference abrasive scored at 100.
The ADA states that dentifrices at or below 2.5 times the reference, or 250 RDA, are considered safe and effective, and every paste carrying the ADA Seal must meet that ceiling. The same page says values below 250 cannot be used to rank safety, because they do not correspond to clinical changes in enamel.
Video: Dr. Carolyn Norton
RDA toothpaste chart with the source named per row
Two kinds of figures appear below. Arm & Hammer publishes RDA values on its own site, which is rare for a US brand. The rest come from a 2019 laboratory study that measured twenty pastes bought in Switzerland, so those products may differ from US formulations.
| Product or reference point | RDA | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Toothbrush with plain water | 4 | Arm & Hammer enamel article, armandhammer.com |
| Plain baking soda | 7 | Arm & Hammer enamel article, armandhammer.com |
| Elmex Sensitive Plus (Colgate-Palmolive) | 26 ± 3 | 2019 lab study, Oral Health Prev Dent, PMC11654561 |
| Colgate Fresh Gel | 34 ± 3 | 2019 lab study, PMC11654561 |
| Arm & Hammer Peroxicare Deep Clean | 45 | Manufacturer figure, armandhammer.com |
| Arm & Hammer Advance White | 47 | Manufacturer figure, armandhammer.com |
| Meridol (Colgate-Palmolive) | 59 ± 8 | 2019 lab study, PMC11654561 |
| Colgate Total Original | 100 ± 5 | 2019 lab study, PMC11654561 |
| ADA reference abrasive | 100 | ADA oral health topics, ada.org |
| Arm & Hammer Complete Care Whitening | 112 | Manufacturer figure, armandhammer.com |
| Dr. Wolff’s Biorepair | 131 ± 19 | 2019 lab study, PMC11654561 |
| ADA Seal of Acceptance ceiling | 250 | ADA oral health topics, ada.org |
Notice what is missing. Sensodyne Pronamel, Crest Pro-Health and most US Colgate lines describe themselves as low abrasion without printing a number, and the circulated PDF charts that assign them one never cite a test date or a formulation.
Why the number is not the whole story
The same 2019 study shows how slippery a single figure is. Signal Anti-Caries measured 108 in 2015 and 71 in 2019 against a declared value of 50, so reformulation and lab variance both move the score.
Your hand matters as much as the paste. The review the ADA cites covers toothbrushes as well as toothpastes as causes of tooth wear, and reports limited dentin wear and virtually no enamel wear from lifelong brushing with proper technique and a paste at or under 250. Bristle stiffness and pressure are the variables you control, which is where a soft bristle toothbrush earns its place.
RDA also measures dentin only. The ADA says the values do not correspond to potential clinical changes to enamel, so if you are weighing stain removal against wear, read how whitening toothpaste affects enamel before trusting any ranking.
Charcoal powders are the loudest example of a scrub claim with no RDA attached, and charcoal toothpaste and enamel covers what published evidence says about them.
How to use the chart without overthinking it
If a paste carries the ADA Seal, its RDA is under 250 and the ADA considers it safe for daily use. Below that line, pick by the job: fluoride level, sensitivity relief, tartar control or whitening, then brush with a soft brush and light pressure.
When a product page says only low abrasion, ask the brand for the figure; a paste tested to ISO 11609 has a number on file. If you have exposed roots, worn enamel or a diagnosed erosion problem, a dentist who can see your mouth beats any chart. This article is general information, not dental advice.