In Vitro Oral Care Product Testing

In vitro oral care product testing to evaluate safety and performance including assessment of stain removal, stain prevention, whitening, gloss, brushing performance, abrasivity, erosion and dentine tubule blockage

Your oral care products need to be safe for use by consumers and must also perform well. Reliable in vitro testing can support your product development by providing an assessment of product efficacy and safety. Our Laboratory team are able to conduct evaluation studies for toothpastes, toothbrushes, interproximal devices, floss, mouthwashes and tablets. Such studies may involve routine and bespoke methodologies in the areas of stain removal, stain prevention, whitening, gloss,  brushing performance, abrasivity, erosion and dentine tubule blockage. We are proficient at preparing dental hard tissue samples such as enamel blocks (human and bovine) and dentine discs. Our laboratory is equipped with a variety of wafering saws, wire saws, lapping and polishing machines enabling us to produce samples to any desired specification or finish. We can also produce artificial lesions for use in a variety of enamel remineralisation studies. 

Our laboratories also provide sample analysis in support of oral care clinical studies (e.g. fluoride, calcium and other active agents) and can carry out SEM and surface microhardness analysis of in situ hard tissue samples. We are inspected and licensed by the Human Tissue Authority (HTA). Our GCP and GLP compliant bioanalytical laboratories are inspected by the MHRA.  

In vitro models and bespoke method development:

• Anti-Stain, Stain Removal and Whitening Testing
• Anti-plaque and Anti-calculus Testing
• Abrasivity / tissue loss using 2-D probe profilometry
• Artificial brushing machines for cleaning / abrasivity testing
• Cleaning evaluation of toothbrushes, interdental brushes, flosses and tapes
• Enamel erosion by acidic drinks / foodstuffs
• Dentinal tubule blockage experiments for sensitivity claims
• Pellicle Cleaning Ratio (PCR)

• Human and bovine hard tissue sample prep (enamel / dentine) incl. hydroxyapatite
• Supply of Discs / Blocks of dental restoration materials
• Artificial lesion preparation using acid gels

• Surface Microhardness (SMH) evaluation of human / bovine enamel / dentine 
• Fluoride / potassium / calcium / zinc analysis of plaque and saliva 
• Oral malodour assessment using GC / OralChroma / Halimeters
• Plaque / saliva sample preparation for active agent analysis
• Operation of Periotrons for Gingival Crevicular Fluid Analysis

With over 18 years of experience in vitro oral care studies we have been a trusted partner for developers and manufacturers of oral care products. Our scientists offer in vitro method development for bespoke models and screening of oral care products to target those most promising for human dental clinical trials or oral care clinical studies with rigorous assessment supporting safety, product development, regulatory compliance and advertising claim support.