Dabur Red, Meswak or Zenfresh: How They Differ

These three Dabur toothpastes are quite different from each other. Before looking at them one by one, there is one question that matters more than the brand.

Does it contain fluoride?

The WHO and the FDI World Dental Federation both recommend brushing twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste, because fluoride is what prevents cavities. A large Cochrane review of studies on children found that toothpaste with 1,000 to 1,250 ppm fluoride prevents tooth decay. Many herbal pastes have no fluoride.

• Meswak: our product page says it is non-fluoridated.
• Red and Zenfresh: Dabur's pages do not say. Look at the ingredient list on the pack for sodium fluoride or sodium monofluorophosphate.

If cavity protection is your priority, or you are choosing for a child, pick a paste that lists fluoride, or ask a dentist.

Dabur Red

Dabur says Red Paste has 13 natural active ingredients. It names clove oil, pudina sat (mint), tomar beej (Zanthoxylum alatum) and ginger, and does not list the rest. Dabur says the paste has been clinically tested, but it does not publish the study, so we cannot tell you its size or results. It is a strongly flavoured paste: clove and mint come first. Sizes: 85g and 190g.

Dabur Meswak

Meswak is made with extract of the miswak plant (Salvadora persica), the plant whose twigs are used as chewing sticks in many countries. It is a foaming paste, and the full ingredient list is on the product page. A 2022 review of nine trials found that miswak sticks cleaned about as well as a toothbrush for plaque and gum inflammation. Note that this is about the stick, not about toothpaste containing the extract. We know of no trial of the Dabur paste itself. Sizes: 50g, 100g and 190g.

Dabur Zenfresh

Zenfresh is a green gel with clove and icecool menthol, built around a cool, fresh taste. Our product page says it kills 99.9% of germs, but it does not say under what test conditions. Sizes: 85g and 145g.

How to choose

• You want a fluoride paste for cavity protection: check the ingredient list on the pack, whichever brand you pick.
• You like a strong clove and mint paste: Red.
• You want a foaming paste made with miswak extract: Meswak.
• You like a cool menthol gel: Zenfresh.

The Oral Care Family Pack has Zenfresh and Red together if you would like to try both.

Brushing, whichever one you use

• Brush twice a day for about two minutes, and spit instead of rinsing.
• For children, the American Dental Association advises a smear of paste the size of a grain of rice until age 3, and a pea-sized amount from 3 to 6. Help children brush until they are about 7 (NHS advice).
• See a dentist regularly. Toothpaste does not treat tooth decay or gum disease.

All our toothpastes are in the oral care collection. We deliver across Bangladesh, usually within 2 to 5 days.