Effect of whitening toothpastes on the surface roughness and microhardness of human teeth – an in vitro study

Abstract Objective: To determine the effect of whitening toothpastes on the surface roughness and microhardnessof human teeth. Methodology: Surface roughness was estimated using the Talysurf instrument, and microhardness was estimated using theVickers hardness tester before and after the application of whitening toothpastes on mounted extracted human teeth. Results: In the activated charcoal group, there was a reduction in the surface roughness from 1.21 at baseline to 1.09 at 1 month and a further reduction to 1.02 at 3 months, which was found to be statistically significant. However, no statistically significant difference in surface roughness was found in the other toothpaste groups. With respect to microhardness, all 4 whitening toothpastes showed a statistically significant reduction in microhardness after 3 months of brushing. There was a statistically significant difference between groups 2 and 5 and 4 and 5, indicating a greater reduction in microhardness values in groups 2 and 4. Conclusion: This study showed that whitening toothpaste containing activated charcoal significantly reduced the surface roughness, whereas toothpastes with blue covarine and toothpastes containing activated charcoalsignificantly reduced the microhardness of the tooth. Clinical relevance: This study emphasizes the need for healthcare professionals to be aware of the potential disadvantages of whitening toothpastes and make evidence-based decisions when recommending the product to patients.