ABSTRACT

Whitening dentifrices are used in dental procedures for achieving aesthetic effects, such as tooth cleaning and stain removal. Today, owing to the effect of media, there is an increasing interest among individuals to have a healthy and beautiful smile, resulting in higher use of easily accessible whitening dentifrices. The whitening effect of whitening dentifrices is mostly attributed to their constituent abrasives or chemical, optical, or enzymatic ingredients. Thus, it is important to have updated knowledge regarding the ingredients, whitening efficacy, and mechanisms regarding the action of whitening dentifrices. Several dentifrices are available in the global market, and dentists should be aware that the selection of the most appropriate dentifrice is possible with correct knowledge about the content of each dentifrice. Based on their ingredients, certain whitening dentifrices may negatively affect dental hard tissues. Thus, dentists should warn patients about the potential adverse effects of whitening dentifrices on teeth and the negative consequences of dentifrices with unproven whitening claims.