In continuing coverage, LiveScience (10/28, Choi) reports that “do-it-yourself” teeth whitening methods touted by YouTube videos and even “The Dr. Oz Show” in fact do “not actually whiten teeth, and may even weaken them,” according to a study published by researchers at the University of Iowa. The article adds that researchers “rubbed a mixture of baking soda and California-grown organic strawberries on 20 recently extracted human molars for 5 minutes, and then brushed the teeth gently,” mimicking the DIY tooth whitening procedure. However, the experiments “found that teeth brushed with the strawberry and baking soda formula showed no real whitening, based on two well-known color-measurement tests, and an examination with a scientific instrument that detects colors known as a spectrophotometer.” LiveScience goes on to state that the reason no whitening is occurring is because none of the treatments contained hydrogen peroxide and carbamide peroxide, “key ingredients in tooth-whitening products, according to the American Dental Association.”
