From the basic, white toothpaste of yesteryears to the specialised cavity- and plaque-control ones, toothpastes have come a long way. Scientists at the Fraunhofer Institute for Mechanics of Materials IWM in Halle, Germany, have devised a new technique to determine the cleaning potential of toothpastes. Ishita Das talks to Andreas Kieskow, the lead researcher, on the use of this new technology

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