Dental bleaching is trending right now. More people have tried to bleach their dents to make them look whitier.
Bleaching uses chemicals such as hydrogen peroxide and karbamid peroxide, but these can lead to health hazards if not used properly, such as sensitive gums, disruption and bleeding of the tongue as well as change in the enamel. “It can even cause carsinogenic effect,” said Dyah Anindya Widyasrini, dentistry student, on Wednesday (17/6) on campus.
Along with three of her fellow students, Dimar Pangestika Sari, Onni Fitriani Solikhah, and Enggardini Rachma Hakim, Dyah developed a new formula for dent whitener using natural substance. They chose strawberry as the main source of whitener.
“Strawberry contains elagat acid that can brighten dental colour,” she explained.
They also use baking soda that is often used by the community for bleaching. “Many people have used strawberry and baking soda for home bleaching, but the procedure has not been understood properly,” Onni added.
These students tried to combine strawberry and baking soda to make a dental whitener. A gel is made that produces neutral PH to prevent dental hard tissues from getting damaged. “Dental whitener should not be acidic as this can damage the hard tissues,” said Onni.
The Berrybleach gel has been tested in vitro in the lab. The gel proved effective in resuming the natural colour of the dent. “But in the future we need to test more to know the side-effects,” she said.