Consumer Reports finds whitening claims for toothpaste can be misleading

Posted Thursday, July 6, 2006

E-mail this page Printer-friendly page

CR’s tests of 41 toothpastes found no correlation between whitening claims and stain-removing ability

Yonkers, NY — Consumer Reports tested 41 brands of toothpaste to see if they really could whiten teeth—as many of the makers claim—and found no correlation between those claims and stain-removing ability.

Even the seven toothpastes that contain peroxide, the main bleaching ingredient in whitening strips and professional treatments, lightened or bleached out stains no better overall than other toothpastes.

Consumer Reports did find one toothpaste that stood out as a stain remover: Ultrabrite All in One Advanced Whitening, a CR Best Buy. Ultrabrite doesn’t contain peroxide and costs just 28 cents per ounce—roughly one-tenth the cost of the priciest brand. And, unlike its two closest competitors in stain removal, Ultrabrite was no more abrasive than average.

Drugstore aisles are packed with toothpastes claiming to do everything from fighting plaque or curbing tartar to freshening teeth or shielding sensitive teeth. But the most prominent claim, whitening teeth, can be misleading. The fine print on toothpaste labels reveals that most products promise to whiten by removing stains, not by lightening the base color of the teeth.

Consumer Reports didn’t test claims about preventing plaque or tartar because that would have required an extensive clinical trial. Products labeled “prevents plaque and gingivitis” or “tartar control” and bearing the American Dental Association’s seal must provide clinical-trial evidence thatthey perform those tasks better than standard toothpastes do. Claims without the seal may or may not be valid.

Here’s a list of the 12 other toothpastes judged by Consumer Reports to provide “Very Good” stain protection. They are listed in order of their scores, along with the price of the product per ounce: