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; Nikki Vasani; Urmila Sachin Mense; Niharika Prasad; Aditya Shetty; Srikant Natarajan; Arindam Dutta; Manuel S Thomas

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

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

Authors

Radhika Agarwal¹, Nikki Vasani¹, Urmila Sachin Mense¹, Niharika Prasad¹, Aditya Shetty², Srikant Natarajan¹, Arindam Dutta³, Manuel S Thomas⁴

Affiliations

¹ Manipal College of Dental Sciences Mangalore, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Karnataka, Manipal, 576104, India.
² A.B.Shetty Memorial Institute of Dental Sciences (ABSMIDS), Nitte (Deemed to be University), Mangalore, 575018, India.
³ School of Dentistry, College of Biomedical and Lifesciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, CF14 4XY, UK.
⁴ Manipal College of Dental Sciences Mangalore, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Karnataka, Manipal, 576104, India. [email protected].

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.