Traditional wisdom isn’t always the best; charcoal-based toothpaste may be worse for your smile than your regular toothpaste
A new study published in the journal of American Dental Association, reported that charcoal and charcoal-based toothpastes may actually weaken your teeth.
Charcoal-based toothpastes have rapidly gained popularity due to celebrity endorsements and explosion of social media platforms. The authors conducted a literature review to examine the efficacy and safety of charcoal and charcoal-based teeth whitening products.
The authors carried out a detailed database search for clinical studies on the use of charcoal and charcoal-based dentifrices and laboratory investigations on the bioactivity or toxicity of charcoal and charcoal-based products and 118 potentially eligible articles were identified. In addition, the authors selected the first 50 consecutive charcoal dentifrices from Google.com and Amazon.com for ascertainment of product mixture and advertising promotions.
Charcoal based products contain no fluoride, which is needed to destroy plaque and stop decay. A similar study by researchers at King’s College London and the University of Manchester described the products, famous for their black colour – as “marketing gimmicks and folklore”
Results showed that most studies did not meet the study requirements while three studies reported deleterious outcomes including increased caries, enamel abrasion and non-quantified negative impact, and seven other studies reported only on the use of charcoal for oral hygiene. Internet advertisements however, included unsubstantiated claims such as antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, and oral detoxification properties, as well as potentially misleading product assertions. One-third of the charcoal toothpastes contained bentonite clay, and 1 contained betel leaves.
The scientists concluded that the literature review showed insufficient clinical and laboratory data to substantiate the safety and efficacy claims of charcoal and charcoal-based teeth whitening products. Larger-scale and well-designed studies are needed to establish conclusive evidence.
Charcoal based products contain no fluoride, which is needed to destroy plaque and stop decay. A similar study by researchers at King’s College London and the University of Manchester described the products, famous for their black colour – as “marketing gimmicks and folklore”.
“The problem is that there are so many celebrity endorsements and social media posts about these products, but the claims made about them are unsupported by the evidence,” said researcher Dr Joseph Greenwall-Cohen on the findings published recently in the British Dental Journal.
“The high abortive nature of charcoal limits the amount of active fluoride in the toothpastes required for prevention of dental decay. Additionally the ‘whitening effect’ of the toothpaste is limited to removal of staining and may be no more than the whitening effect of any regular toothpaste,” added Dr Cohen.
Charcoal and its substitutes can also be found in face masks, cleansers and soap.
