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. 2024 Aug 23;10(1):67.
doi: 10.1038/s41405-024-00253-0.

Effects of online marketplace-sourced over-the-counter tooth whitening products on the colour, microhardness, and surface topography of enamel: an in vitro study

Radhika Agarwal  1 , Nikki Vasani  1 , Urmila Sachin Mense  1 , Niharika Prasad  1 , Aditya Shetty  2 , Srikant Natarajan  1 , Arindam Dutta  3 , Manuel S Thomas  4
Affiliations

Effects of online marketplace-sourced over-the-counter tooth whitening products on the colour, microhardness, and surface topography of enamel: an in vitro study

Radhika Agarwal et al. BDJ Open. .

Abstract

Objectives: This study compared the whitening effect, microhardness, and enamel surface alterations of over-the-counter (OTC) tooth bleaching products with those of a dentist-prescribed at-home bleaching agent.

Materials and methods: The products available on a popular online marketplace were comprehensively searched and then rated using a specific formula. The effects of the lowest-rated OTC agent (LRA) and the highest-rated OTC agent (HRA) were compared with those of a dentist-prescribed bleaching agent (DPA) on the enamel of extracted human teeth. The bleaching efficacy, post-bleaching microhardness changes, and morphological alterations were assessed by spectrophotometric analysis, Vickers hardness testing, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) respectively. Statistical analyses included one-way ANOVA and post hoc tests, maintaining a significance level of P < 0.05.

Results: The search of the online marketplace revealed 15 products. The LRA (Teeth Whitening Serum Gel, GEN, China) and the HRA (Bright White-Lovely Smile Premium Teeth Whitening strips, Ray of Smile, USA) were identified on the basis of their ranking. DPA resulted in significantly better tooth whitening than did LRA. The enamel microhardness was lower in the LRA treatment group (14.2%) than in the control and HRA treatment groups (8.84% and 7.26%, respectively). LRA also caused severe topographical alterations to the enamel.

Conclusion: Compared with the poorly rated product, the dentist-prescribed tooth bleaching product resulted in greater colour improvement, less microhardness reduction, and surface changes. The highest-rated product was comparable with the dentist-prescribed agent in this study.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests. The present study was reviewed and approved by Institutional Ethical Committee of Manipal College of Dental Sciences Mangalore with the reference number 22091.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Flowchart illustrating the selection of bleaching agents from the online marketplace and the evaluation of the effects of selected products on dental enamel.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images at ×103 magnification.
a SEM image of a sample before bleaching, b SEM image of a sample bleached with the LRA, c SEM image of a sample bleached with the HRA, and d SEM image of a post-bleaching sample from the DPA group.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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