Whitening toothpastes for coffee and wine stains: Impact on enamel color and roughness

To evaluate, in the laboratory, the effect of whitening toothpastes Colgate Luminous White Lovers Coffee (CLWC) and Wine (CLWW) on dental enamel stained with coffee and red wine, regarding color (ΔEab*, ΔE₀₀, WID) and surface roughness (Ra).

130 samples of bovine incisors were randomly divided into 13 groups (n=10): NC (without staining and brushing); CMP - Colgate Maximum Cavity Protection; CT12 - Colgate Total 12; CLWC - Colgate Luminous White Lovers (Coffee); CLWW - Colgate Luminous White Lovers (Wine); CT12_C - coffee + CT12; CMP_C - coffee + CMP; CLWC_C - coffee + CLWC; NC_C - coffee + distilled water; CT12_W - wine + CT12; CMP_W - wine + CMP; CLWW_W - wine + CLWW and NC_W - wine + distilled water. All analyses were performed twice: Baseline (T0) and 24 hours after brushing protocol (T1). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images were obtained. The data were subjected to Shapiro-Wilk normality tests. Kruskal-Wallis and Dunn tests were used for comparisons between groups for color and Ra, and paired Wilcoxon test was used for comparisons between time for Ra. The significance level was 5%.

There was a significant difference between groups for ΔEab*, ΔE₀₀, and WID. CLWW_W group showed significantly greater Ra than NC and NC_C at T1. CLWW_W showed a higher erosion of the enamel surface. CLWC and CLWW promoted effective removal of extrinsic staining when exposed to specific staining with coffee and red wine. However, CLWW increased the enamel surface roughness of the samples stained with red wine.

Whitening toothpastes effectively removed coffee- and wine-induced stains, but their abrasive potential, especially after wine exposure, may increase enamel roughness. Clinicians should weigh whitening benefits against possible enamel damage when recommending such products.