ABSTRACT
Context: In India, teeth cleaning with tooth powder is common in rural and semi‑urban areas. These dentifrices may contain low‑quality abrasives, which may have a deleterious effect on dental hard tissues. Aims: This study aims to evaluate the tooth substance loss caused by different dentifrices and to correlate it with chemical composition, size, and shape of abrasives used. Settings and Design: An indigenously made automated machine was used for brushing the specimens. Materials and Methods: Sixty‑four freshly extracted premolars were allocated to eight groups (n = 8). Colgate toothpaste was used as the control group. Each specimen was brushed in a vertical motion for 2½ h at 200 strokes/min with a constant applied load of 200 g corresponding to 6‑month brushing. The difference in weight (pre‑ and post‑brushing) was determined by an analytical weighing machine. Chemical analysis was done to determine the presence of iron oxide by Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry method. Shape and size of the abrasive particles was evaluated under scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Statistical Analysis Used: One‑way analysis of variance and Paired t‑test were used to analyze the data. Results: Tooth substance loss was maximum in the group brushed with red tooth powder, which was shown to contain the highest amount of iron oxide and also exhibited large, irregularly shaped abrasive particles under SEM. Conclusions: Tooth substance loss was documented to be correlated with chemical composition (iron oxide) and the size and shape of abrasive particles used in dentifrices.