A silica toothpaste containing blue covarine: a new technological breakthrough in whitening.

Int Dent J 59(5):284-8 (2009) PMID 19998663

There continues to be a demand from consumers and patients for products that whiten teeth. These products are generally either peroxide-based bleaching formats to improve intrinsic tooth colour or whitening toothpastes with enhanced physical and chemical cleaning properties to remove and prevent extrinsic tooth stain. Through the understanding of colour science and its application to tooth colour a new approach to tooth whitening is now possible from toothpaste. This is achieved by the deposition of blue covarine onto the tooth surface where it changes the optical properties of the teeth such that their appearance is both measurably and perceivably whiter immediately after treatment. In vitro and in vivo studies confirm the efficacy of this whitening approach in a silica based whitening toothpaste containing blue covarine. In addition, this toothpaste has been shown not to have an undue degree of abrasivity to enamel or dentine compared to other relevant commercially available products, and is an efficacious source of fluoride.