Tooth Whitening with Hydroxyapatite: A Systematic Review

Area of Science:

• Oral Care and Dental Materials Science
• Biomaterials and Nanotechnology

Background:

• Growing consumer demand for whiter teeth drives innovation in at-home oral care products.
• Hydroxyapatite (HAP) has emerged as a novel ingredient for dental whitening applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review the scientific evidence on the efficacy of Hydroxyapatite (HAP) for tooth whitening.
• To assess the quality and risk of bias in existing in vitro and in vivo studies concerning HAP's whitening effects.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature search conducted across major scientific databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, etc.) using PICO and PRISMA guidelines.
• Inclusion of all study designs (in vitro, in vivo) and foreign language publications.
• Quality assessment using the QUIN Tool for in vitro studies and GRADE scores for in vivo studies.

Main Results:

• Seventeen studies met the inclusion criteria from an initial 279 titles.
• Thirteen in vitro studies predominantly showed a low risk of bias.
• Both in vitro and in vivo studies demonstrated statistically significant enamel whitening effects with HAP.

Conclusions:

• Regular use of oral care products containing Hydroxyapatite (HAP) is effective for whitening teeth.
• The current in vitro evidence is robust with a low risk of bias.
• Further extensive clinical trials are recommended to strengthen the preliminary in vivo findings.