Dental News - Study shows some toothpastes do not protect against erosion and hypersensitivity

Dental Tribune International

Thu. 15. March 2018

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BERNE, Switzerland: Over the years, more and more toothpastes have been released on to the market claiming to aid with one thing or another—with a particular focus on dentine hypersensitivity and dental erosion. However, in a new study, researchers have shown that, out of nine analysed toothpastes, none were capable of mitigating enamel surface loss, a key factor in tooth erosion and dentine hypersensitivity.

Conducted at the University of Bern in Switzerland with the participation of a researcher supported by a scholarship from the São Paulo Research Foundation, the researchers tested eight toothpastes claiming to be anti-erosive and/or desensitising and one control toothpaste, all of which are available from pharmacies in Brazil and Europe.

“Research has shown that dentine must be exposed with open tubules in order for there to be hypersensitivity, and erosion is one of the causes of dentine exposure. This is why, in our study, we analysed toothpastes that claim to be anti-erosive and/or desensitising,” said lead author of the study Dr Samira Helena João-Souza, a PhD student at the Department of Restorative Dentistry at the University of São Paulo’s School of Dentistry in Brazil.

To simulate the effect on tooth enamel of brushing once a day with exposure to an acid solution for five consecutive days, the study used human premolars donated for scientific research purposes, artificial saliva and an automatic brushing machine. The physical analysis consisted of weighing the abrasive particles contained in the toothpastes, measuring their size and testing the ease with which the toothpaste mixed with artificial saliva could be spread on the tooth surface.

According to the results, all of the analysed toothpastes caused progressive tooth surface loss in the five-day period. “None of them was better than the others. Indication will depend on each case. The test showed that some [toothpastes] caused less surface loss than others, but they all resembled the control toothpaste [for] this criterion. Statistically, they were all similar, although numerically, there were differences,” said co-author of the article and João-Souza’s doctoral supervisor, Dr Ana Cecília Corrêa Aranha.

The authors of the study emphasised that these toothpastes perform a function, but that they should be used as a complement and not as a full treatment. According to João-Souza, at least three factors are required for a comprehensive approach: treatment prescribed by a dentist, use of an appropriate toothpaste and a change in lifestyle. “Dental erosion is multifactorial. It has to do with brushing, and above all, with diet. Food and drink are increasingly acidic as a result of industrial processing,” she said.

“We’re now working on other studies relating to dentine in order to think about possibilities, given that none of these toothpastes was found capable of preventing dental erosion or dentine hypersensitivity, which is a cause of concern,” said Aranha.

The study, titled “Chemical and physical factors of desensitizing and/or anti-erosive toothpastes associated with lower erosive tooth wear” was published on 20 December 2017 in the Scientific Reports journal.

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