Cultivating brighter smiles: Harnessing the potential of Bulian wood activated charcoal toothpaste infused with varied concentrations of lime essential oil for effective at-home teeth whitening

Abstract

The appearance of teeth plays a pivotal role in determining an attractive facial profile. Addressing tooth discoloration is contingent on the specific diagnosis, and various methods can be employed for treatment. Activated wood charcoal, owing to its remarkable stain absorption capabilities, emerges as a natural alternative to conventional home bleaching agents. Lime, derived from Citrus aurantifolia, is a citrus variety known for its citric acid content. This acid, characterized by an OH group, possesses teethwhitening potential due to its oxidizing properties akin to ellagic acid and malic acid. Consequently, it is imperative to conduct research to evaluate the effectiveness of a toothpaste formulated with 10% Bulian wood activated charcoal and varying concentrations (7.5%, 10%, 12.5%) of lime essential oil as a tooth whitener for caries-free teeth. This study adopts an experimental research approach. The subjects for this research were natural teeth displaying discoloration, enabling the assessment of the whitening effect on the tooth surface. The research commenced with the preparation of a toothpaste formulation comprising 10% Bulian activated charcoal powder and lime essential oil at concentrations of 7.5%, 10%, and 12.5%. Subsequently, the study examined the tooth surface whitening effect following the application of this toothpaste. Effectiveness was assessed by scoring the tooth surface whitening effect on control teeth and analyzed using the Mann-Whitney difference test. The research findings indicate differences in effectiveness when employing toothpaste containing 10% Bulian wood activated charcoal with 7.5%, 10%, and 12.5% lime essential oil for the control group with caries-free teeth. Specifically, no significant difference was observed for lime essential oil concentration at 7.5%. However, notable differences in effectiveness were identified between toothpaste containing 10% Bulian wood activated charcoal and formulations with 7.5%, 10%, and 12.5% lime essential oil for caries-free teeth (p< 0.05). In conclusion, this research underscores distinct variations in effectiveness among toothpaste formulations containing 10% Bulian wood activated charcoal and 7.5%, 10%, and 12.5% lime essential oil when employed as teeth whiteners for caries-free teeth (p< 0.05).