Role of desensitizing/whitening dentifrices in enamel wear.

OBJECTIVES: To analyze the impact of desensitizing (D) and/or whitening (W) dentifrices on erosion and erosion-abrasion. METHODS: Enamel specimens were allocated into 10 groups (n = 20): 1. Artificial saliva (control); 2. Sensodyne Repair&Protect (SRP-D); 3. Sensodyne Repair&Protect Whitening (SRP-W); 4. Colgate Sensitive Pro-Relief (CSPR-D); 5. Colgate Sensitive Pro-Relief Real White (CSPRR-W); 6. Colgate Total 12 (CT); 7. Colgate Total 12 Professional Whitening (CTP-W); 8. Sensodyne True White (ST-W); 9. Curaprox Black is White (CB-W); 10. Oral-B 3D White Perfection (OB3D-W). For abrasion (n = 10), 30,000 brushing strokes were performed and surface roughness (SR) was evaluated. Erosion-abrasion (n = 10) consisted of 1 % citric acid (2 min), artificial saliva (60 min); 6×/day; 5 days. Toothbrushing was carried out 2×/day (45 strokes). Surface loss (SL) was determined with an optical profilometer. Data were statistically analyzed (α = 0.05). RESULTS: Relative to SR, only OB3D-W had a significantly rougher surface than the control (p = 0.014). SRP-D, CSPR-D and ST-W showed no difference from the baseline. High SL was observed for ST-W, OB3D-W and CTP-W, without significant differences from the control. CT showed the lowest SL, not differing from SRP-D and SRP-W. There was a weak negative correlation between SL and concentration of free fluoride in the slurries, SL and SR, and SL and pH, all p > 0.05. CONCLUSIONS: Only one dentifrice increased surface roughness of enamel to a higher degree than brushing with saliva. Brushing with the test dentifrices did not cause higher enamel erosive wear than brushing with saliva. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: This study enhances our knowledge on the effect of desensitizing and whitening dentifrices, indicating that they do not worsen enamel loss due to abrasion and they might be a safe option for individuals with erosive tooth wear.