Study puts in check action of toothpastes vegan

Analysis shows that the natural whitening advertised by manufacturers does not occur

Study puts in check action and toothpastes vegan

Analysis shows that the natural whitening advertised by manufacturers does not occur

When analyzing the action of vegan toothpastes, dentist Reginna Carneiro found that products with the supposed effect of naturally whitening teeth did not promote any action of this type – contrary to what their manufacturers advertised. The evaluation was part of her doctoral research, a project developed in the Postgraduate Program in Clinical Dentistry at the Piracicaba School of Dentistry (FOP) at Unicamp, under the guidance of the unit's professor Vanessa Cavalli.

The research, which was funded by the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq), sought to verify the impacts of toothpastes with vegan formulations – that is, without ingredients of animal origin – on the outermost layer of the teeth, that is, the tooth enamel. To perform this analysis, Carneiro selected eight types of vegan products available on the market, some of which promised a natural teeth whitening action. The selected options were: turmeric, clove and tea tree extracts; chamomile, lemon balm and grape extracts; mint and turmeric extracts; zero mint; zero mint; Everest mint; charcoal and mint; and herbal anise, mint and tea tree. The conventional toothpaste Colgate Total 12 Clean Mint was used in the research as a control.

The work was carried out in different stages, involving several analyses and giving rise to different scientific articles. In the experiments carried out in the first phase, Carneiro used an artificial block that simulated a human tooth with intact, i.e. healthy, enamel to investigate possible changes in the color and surface of the enamel. To this end, he conducted simulated brushing cycles, using vegan and control toothpastes. The evaluation showed that none of the products tested negatively altered the surface of the enamel, compared to the effect of conventional toothpaste. Those promising a natural whitening action failed to achieve any whitening.

When conducting the second stage of the research, the dentist focused on examining the effects of the products not on intact enamel, but in a new situation, involving the consumption of acidic foods and drinks, which compromise the enamel. For the experiment, she worked with a simulation of wear on the enamel surface, seeking to analyze the effects of using the products when associated with an acidic diet. As in the first part of the doctorate, here too the comparison with conventional toothpaste indicated that the use of vegan options did not further damage the enamel. On the other hand, it did not protect it against wear.

The results of the two stages of the research shed light on a product that, despite being little known, has been gaining a growing number of consumers in Brazil and around the world. According to the thesis advisor, studies dedicated to investigating the consequences of using vegan toothpastes on oral health are still rare at universities. “These products can be easily purchased in pharmacies and even online. We do not know the origin of many vegan toothpastes. Therefore, we do not know exactly what their impacts on oral health are,” warns the FOP professor.

Different scenarios

Several factors influenced the dentist’s decision to focus her research on vegan toothpastes. The growing range of options available on the Brazilian market, the lack of information, and the recent interest of patients in these products, Carneiro points out, determined her doctoral project. “Some patients are very attentive to what is being shared by digital influencers and new products on the market and want to try out what they see as new. On the internet, turmeric, for example, has gained fame as a natural teeth whitener,” notes the now PhD in clinical dentistry.

The list of products tested includes options from established brands and small manufacturers. The researcher also took care to select products with natural ingredients in their formulation, especially turmeric and activated charcoal – highlighted as whitening agents. “We chose some vegan toothpastes from established brands and from smaller brands. The fact that [the manufacturers of these products] are against animal cruelty and [that the products] do not contain preservatives is the appeal of small [brands] to win over consumers.”

Both the first and second experiments used an artificial tooth model. Given the widespread consumption of foods with dyes and other coloring substances that change the color of teeth, Carneiro dyed the samples in the first experiment to simulate the appearance of yellow teeth and conducted simulations of 18 and 36 months of brushing – which is equivalent to 15 and 30 brushing cycles, respectively. “We left the blocks immersed in black tea for 24 hours and then in artificial saliva for a week to stabilize the color,” explains the researcher.

In both cases, Carneiro sought to identify the occurrence of color changes and whitening, in addition to checking aspects such as microhardness, surface roughness and enamel morphology. The absence of changes at the end of the analyses, explains Cavalli, shows that the use of the products did not harm the intact dental enamel (without any type of erosion or abrasion).

In order to recreate a condition of erosion and abrasion in the outer layer of the tooth, in the second stage of her doctorate, the dentist conducted a simulation associating brushing with vegan toothpastes with exposure to an acidic substance, responsible for weakening tooth enamel. “With the consumption of acidic foods and drinks by patients, resulting from changes in lifestyle, what we have seen are processes of erosion and dental wear occurring earlier and earlier,” explains the advisor. The results showed that, although the toothpastes tested did not reverse the erosion or abrasion of the enamel, they did not cause any damage to the tooth structure.