Maternal Exposure to a Commercial Tooth Whitening Agent Containing Carbamide Peroxide Causes Locomotory Changes and Tissue Damage in Mice

Abstract

The effects of prenatal exposure to a commercially available teeth whitening product on newborn mice are 
investigated here. Twenty male and sixty female Swiss albino mice participated in the experiment. Thirty pregnant 
mice were taken after mating and were randomly assigned to one of three groups. Six pregnant mice in Group I 
were given distilled water via oral gavage from day one of pregnancy until day fifteen after birth; twelve pregnant 
mice in Groups II and III were given either 200 or 500 milligrams per kilogram of body weight of tooth whitening 
agent, respectively. Newborn mice were analyzed for locomotor activity, histology of spleen, liver, stomach 
mucosa, and brain tissues, and hematological parameters (Hb, RBC, and WBC counts). The experimental group was 
also subjected to a dental whitening chemical. Offspring of mothers who used dental whitening agents had 
considerably lower levels of locomotor activity than controls. The exposed children also exhibited a higher than 
normal WBC count and lower than normal antioxidant levels. This research adds to the growing body of evidence 
that exposing pregnant women to tooth-whitening chemicals causes oxidative stress and histopathological changes 
in the brain and stomach of the exposed group.