Abstract: A liquid or pasty dentifrice comprising, uniformly incorporated therein, a polysaccharide as a thickening and suspending agent, said polysaccharide having a number average molecular weight (Mn) of not less than 100,000 and the molecule of said polysaccharide containing D-glucose, D-mannose, D-galactose and succinic acid in the approximate molar ratio of 1 : 0.03 : 0.1 : 0.2. The polysaccharide is obtained by cultivating Alcaligenes faecalis var. myxogenes in a culture medium containing at least one member selected from the group consisting of lactic acid, pyruvic acid, succinic acid, fumaric acid, malic acid and esters thereof and saccharide.