Whitening toothpastes: effects on tooth stain and enamel

Abstract

Objectives: To compare the stain removal and prevention efficacy of a whitening toothpaste (White System) and a standard silica toothpaste and to determine if any increase in tooth whitening benefits caused an increase in enamel abrasive wear. Methods: The products were evaluated in a laboratory‐cleaning test and in a clinical study evaluating the removal and prevention of natural extrinsic stain over a four‐week period. Enamel abrasive wear was determined using an in situ model where enamel blocks were placed on a denture worn in the mouth for four weeks and brushed twice daily. Results: The White System gave a statistically (p<0.001) higher level of in vitro stain removal as compared to the standard silica toothpaste. The White System was significantly superior to the standard silica toothpaste in the clinical study in terms of extrinsic stain removal (p<0.03) and prevention (p<0.02). The product difference in the in situ enamel wear for these two toothpastes was not of statistical significance. Conclusions: The White System toothpaste was shown to be more effective in stain removal and prevention than a standard silica toothpaste. These enhanced tooth‐whitening benefits did not give rise to a concomitant statistically significant increase in the level of wear to enamel.

Clinical Evaluation of the Whitening Effect of Over-the-Counter Dentifrices on Vital Teeth

“…Beyond the changes caused in the dentifrice formula, the lack of feasibility is also due to the fact that peroxide hydrogen must be applied with a barrier, allowing a long contact time, which did not happen with the toothpastes (18,19). According to Anton et al (8), dentifrices containing hydrogen peroxide, although they produce certain increase in the L* parameter, they cannot reduce the pigmentation of the yellow color (b* parameter) with clinical efficacy.…”

“…These techniques depend on the concentration of the products, application technique and contact time with the tooth surface (18). Based on this, use of whitening toothpastes that promise fast and convenient bleaching did not provide satisfactory effects, probably due to the absence of hydrogen agents.…”

Tooth colour: a review of the literature

“…8 Since the extrinsic stains are on the tooth surface, these can be thoroughly removed by the abrasive action of a dental prophylaxis 11 and controlled by the regular use of an effective toothpaste. 12 There are many treatment methods and materials available to enhance the intrinsic colour of the teeth. Night guard vital bleaching, introduced in 1989 is one such technique, 13 where a carbamide peroxide gel is held against the anterior teeth with a custom fitted gum shield in order to lighten the colour of the teeth.…”

Dentifrice Fluoride and Abrasivity Interplay on Artificial Caries Lesions

“…However, dentifrices contain abrasive components necessary to provide adequate cleaning during toothbrushing [Stookey et al, 1982;Joiner et al, 2002]. Although most dentifrices are not abrasive enough to harm sound enamel [Addy and Hunter, 2003;Hooper et al, 2003;Philpotts et al, 2005], they may cause damage to demineralized enamel.…”