Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 22, 2025

Mimicking and Measuring Occlusal Erosive Tooth Wear with the "Rub&Roll" and Non-contact Profilometry
Published on: February 2, 2018
Abrasion Behaviour of Different Charcoal Toothpastes When Using Electric Toothbrushes
Andreas Greuling1, Johanna Maria Emke1, Michael Eisenburger1
1Clinic for Prosthetic Dentistry and Biomedical Materials Science, Hannover Medical School, Carl-Neuberg-Straße 1, 30625 Hannover, Germany.
Objectives:
The purpose of this in vitro study was to compare the abrasion behaviour of different charcoal toothpastes when brushing with electric toothbrushes on human enamel.
Materials And Methods:
A self-designed brushing machine was built using six commercially available electric toothbrushes in abrasion chambers. Each chamber was constantly supplied with a toothpaste-water mix. Pieces of human enamel, which were embedded in PMMA, were brushed for 4 h. Before and after brushing, profilometer measurements were performed in order to determine the substance loss due to brushing.
Results:
The following calculated mean removal values (mean ± SD) were found: (4.6 ± 0.6) µm (Group C: Splat Blackwood), (3.2 ± 0.9) µm (Group D: Curaprox Black is White), (2.3 ± 0.7) µm (Group B: Sensodyne Pro Schmelz), (1.7 ± 0.6) µm (Group A: Water), (1.4 ± 0.6) µm (Group E: Prokudent Black Brilliant). A post hoc Tukey HSD test (p = 0.05) showed that the results for Group A/B/E, Group B/D and Group C each lie within subsets that differ statistically significantly from the other subsets.
Conclusions:
Within the limitations of this in vitro study, it can be stated that some charcoal toothpastes lead to significantly higher abrasion on human enamel, when brushing with electric brushes.
Clinical Relevance:
As low-abrasion toothpaste is generally advisable, and some charcoal toothpastes should be viewed critically with regard to their abrasive properties.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Abrasion Resistance of Concrete
One such test is the revolving disc test, where three plates...
Tooth Anatomy
The Crown, Neck, and Root
The visible part of the tooth is referred to as the crown. It's covered by enamel, the hardest substance in the human body. The crown is uniquely shaped for each type of tooth, allowing for different functions such as cutting, tearing, or...
Characteristics of Dry Friction
Before the wheelbarrow starts moving, the static frictional force acts tangentially to the contact surface, opposing the force that is about to induce the motion. This frictional force prevents the...
Assessment of the Mouth
Mouth Inspection
The inspection begins with visually examining the mouth for symmetry, color, and size.
Electric Charges
The English physicist William Gilbert studied the phenomenon of static electricity in...
Teeth
In the bud stage, the tooth germ (an aggregation of cells) starts to form in the developing jawbone. During the cap stage, the tooth germ differentiates into enamel organ, dental papilla, and dental sac, which will later develop into the tooth's enamel, dentin...

