IADR Abstract Archives
In-vitro Efficacy Evaluation of Experimental Toothpastes on Cleaning and Abrasivity
Objectives: The extent of cleaning achieved by a toothpaste is generally regarded to be dependent upon its dentine abrasivity. This study aimed to investigate cleaning and abrasivity characteristics of novel toothpaste formulations containing a low concentration of micronised calcined alumina as the sole abrasive compared to two commercial whitening toothpastes using industry-standard in-vitro assays. Methods: Dentine abrasivity was measured using the relative dentine abrasivity (RDA) assay, enamel abrasivity was measured using relative enamel abrasivity (REA) assay, and cleaning performance was measured using the pellicle cleaning ratio (PCR) assay. Five development formulations and two commercial formulations were analysed. Results: The development formulations yielded very low RDA values compared to controls, whilst delivering moderate REA values. Considering the RDA values, the development formulations produced surprisingly high PCR values ranging from 92.88 to 105.63. These results translate into impressive Cleaning Efficiency Index (CEI) values compared to the controls.
Samples | RDA(s.d.) | REA(s.d.) | PCR(s.d.) | CEI |
1%w/w alumina 5%w/w STP | 39.27(2.5) | 7.06(0.62) | 93.03(3.31) | 2.095747 |
1.5%w/w alumina 5%w/w STP | 42.83(1.87) | 8.37(0.62) | 97.89(3.7) | 2.118141 |
1%w/w alumina 7.5%w/w STP | 37.52(1.74) | 7.77(0.78) | 95.93(3.29) | 2.224147 |
1.5%w/w alumina 7.5%w/w STP | 41.88(2.48) | 9.52(0.81) | 95.49(3.34) | 2.086199 |
2%w/w alumina 5%w/w STP | 40.25(2.69) | 10.33(1.03) | 105.63(3.05) | 2.382112 |
Commercial toothpaste 16%w/w high cleaning silica combination. | 180.24(4.16) | 6.31(0.74) | 92.88(3.19) | 1.237905 |
Commercial toothpaste 16%w/w high cleaning silica 10%w/w STP | 163.78(1.93) | 7.89(0.23) | 91.24(2.6) | 1.251801 |
Conclusions: Using a low level of micronised calcined alumina as the sole abrasive is an extremely efficient abrasive system delivering low dentine abrasivity and high cleaning. Understanding how the physical characteristics of abrasives impact abrasion performance is crucial when developing efficient abrasive systems. This approach to formulation has been shown to break the link between RDA and PCR commonly associated with toothpaste efficacy, and is capable of delivering highly efficient toothpastes.