Does the activated charcoal tooth paste utilization yield effects in dental whitening in adult population: A systematic review

• Author Details:   
• Preethi Varadan ^*
• Priyanka Balasubramanian
• Anisha Divakar
• Mathan Rajan Rajendran

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Aim: The aim of this study was to systematically review the effectiveness of activated charcoal-based dentifrices on tooth whitening using randomized clinical trials.
Materials and Methods: This study reviewed published articles on the impact of dentifrices based on activated charcoal on teeth whitening, including both original research and a review of the literature from databases like PubMed, Cochrane, Ebscohost, etc. Articles were included from 2008 to 2024. Data extraction and quality evaluation of the chosen studies were carried out separately by two reviewers.
Results: Three studies in total were included for qualitative analysis. The results revealed that activated charcoal tooth paste produced tooth whitening with its abrasive behaviour which in-turn attributed to post-operative sensitivity and tooth surface texture alteration.
Conclusion: Activated charcoal did not show significant effect on teeth whitening in comparison with peroxide-based agents.

Keywords: Activated charcoal, Tooth whitening, Tooth whitening agents, Whitening tooth paste, Tooth bleaching agents, Whitening toothpaste.