PFAS in Dental Floss, Oral-B Glide After PTFE and 81 Other Flosses Graded

We graded 81 dental flosses, floss picks and water flossers. All of them now grade 55 or better out of 100. Nine reach 100 on a brand PFAS-free statement, eight of them Oral-B and Glide flosses and one Cocofloss. Most mainstream floss from Sensodyne, Colgate, Listerine, Reach and Radius grades 75.

The story in this category is Glide. Oral-B's Glide floss was made with PTFE, the fluoropolymer best known as Teflon, for decades. Silent Spring Institute reported on 31 March 2026 that Oral-B had removed it, and Oral-B says none of its floss products are now formulated with PTFE or any type of PFAS.

Summary comparison table

Product	PFAS grade	Material as recorded
Oral-B Glide Pro-Health Floss	Excellent, 100/100	Nylon, Oral-B PFAS-free statement
Oral-B Glide All-in-One Dental Floss	Excellent, 100/100	Floss fiber reformulated without PTFE, according to Oral-B
Oral-B Essential Floss	Excellent, 100/100	Waxed nylon, Oral-B PFAS-free statement
Cocofloss Dental Floss	Excellent, 100/100	Fiber floss, brand PFAS-free claim
Radius Natural Biodegradable Silk Floss	Excellent, 75/100	Silk, plant-based wax
Sensodyne Dental Floss 50m	Excellent, 75/100	Nylon monofilament
Colgate Total Mint Dental Floss	Excellent, 75/100	Nylon monofilament
Listerine Cool Mint Floss	Excellent, 75/100	Nylon filament
Love of Earth Co. Floss and Glass Case	Excellent, 75/100	Plant-based or silk floss, glass case
Waterpik Aquarius Water Flosser	Excellent, 75/100	ABS plastic, stainless steel, rubber seals
Philips Sonicare Power Flosser 7000	Excellent, 75/100	ABS plastic, stainless steel, rubber seals
Colgate Total Waxed Dental Floss	Good, 55/100	Nylon with a named wax coating

How we graded these

Every grade here is a model-based estimate built from publicly available product information and manufacturer disclosures, not a lab test performed by our team. A high score means lower concern based on reviewed sources, never PFAS-free and never safe. Across the 59 products the spread is nine at 100, 49 at 75 and one at 55. None carries independent lab data in our records. Look up any floss in our PFAS product finder.

What Oral-B changed, and what it means for the pack in your drawer

Glide was developed from the same PTFE fiber as Gore-Tex, and for years it was the floss people meant when they asked whether floss contains PFAS. Silent Spring Institute, whose 2019 study linked reported use of Glide to higher blood levels of one PFAS, reported on 31 March 2026 that Oral-B had eliminated PFAS from the Glide line. Oral-B describes the new Glide as a micro-textured fiber and says none of its floss products are formulated with PTFE or any type of PFAS.

Our model records that as a brand statement, unverified by us, and credits it, which is why the Oral-B flosses grade 100. Two cautions go with that grade. Packs made before the change may still be on shelves and in bathroom drawers, and independent testing of the reformulated floss has not been widely published.

Why most other floss grades 75

Mainstream floss is recorded as nylon or silk, sometimes waxed, and our model credits those as materials not associated with PFAS. Sensodyne, Colgate, Listerine, Reach, Radius and the rest say nothing about PFAS, which costs fifteen points and puts them at 75. Colgate Total Waxed Dental Floss grades 55 because its record names a wax coating without the material credit, and Philips Sonicare power flossers grade 65 on records without a material credit.

A correction to this guide

An earlier version of this guide put a Love of Earth floss at the top at 90, a grade that came from a record skipping the silence penalty. Our records also graded Philips Sonicare power flossers 30 on a waterproof coating that Philips never describes, because our grading model had read the word waterproof as a coating, and graded Oral-B's flosses 75 as if Oral-B had said nothing. We corrected all three on 16 September 2026.

What to avoid

• Old packs of Glide or other floss sold as PTFE or shred-resistant from before 2026, if avoiding fluoropolymers matters to you. Check the packaging date where you can.
• Floss described as coated for glide with no coating named and no PFAS statement.
• Reading 75 as a warning. It reflects silence about PFAS on a nylon or silk floss, not a finding.

For more on PTFE itself, see our explainer on whether PTFE is PFAS.

Our pick

Based on available materials and data, if you want a floss with a PFAS statement behind it Oral-B Glide Pro-Health at 100 now carries one from Oral-B, and Cocofloss at 100 carries its own claim. If you would rather choose a floss that was never PTFE Radius Natural Biodegradable Silk Floss at 75 is recorded as silk with a plant-based wax. These grades are estimates built from disclosed materials and brand statements, not laboratory proof, and nothing here is being called PFAS-free or safe by us.

FAQ

Does Oral-B Glide floss still contain PTFE?

Oral-B says it does not. According to Oral-B, the current Glide fiber is no longer formulated with PTFE and none of its floss products are formulated with PTFE or any type of PFAS, a change Silent Spring Institute reported on 31 March 2026. We record that as an unverified brand statement. Older packs may predate the change.

Which dental floss is PFAS-free?

We do not call any product PFAS-free ourselves. In our data, eight Oral-B and Glide flosses and Cocofloss carry brand PFAS-free statements and grade 100, and nylon and silk flosses from Sensodyne, Colgate, Listerine, Reach and Radius are recorded without fluoropolymers and grade 75.

Is waxed floss a PFAS concern?

Wax is not a fluorinated material. The waxed flosses we graded are recorded with natural or unspecified waxes and grade 55 to 100 depending on what the maker says about PFAS.

Are water flossers a PFAS concern?

Not in our data. Waterpik and Philips Sonicare water flossers are recorded as plastic, steel and rubber with no coating and grade 65 or 75.