Whitening dentifrices use different mechanisms for stain removal and prevention. These approaches are abrasives, oxidizing agents, and chemical cleaning agents. The objectives of this in-vitro study were: 1) To compare the whitening effect of commercial whitening and non-whitening dentifrices; 2) To verify the mechanism of action of whitening dentifrices by contrasting two experimental models: chemical model (toothpaste exposure only) and chemo-mechanical (toothpaste exposure with tooth-brushing abrasion). The 256 bovine enamel specimens (10 mm x10 mm) were prepared and partially stained. They were assigned to 8 groups: 6 whitening dentifrices, 1 non-whitening reference dentifrice and deionized water (control); and they were further divided in 2 subgroups (n = 16), chemical and chemo-mechanical. Specimens were exposed to dentifrice slurries 2X/day for 1 min and brushed or not, according to each model. In between dentifrice treatments, specimens were exposed to the staining solution for 5 h. This protocol was repeated for 5 consecutive days and enamel color changes (∆E, ∆L) were measured by spectrophotometry after each day. The abrasivity of the toothpastes was determined using a standard test (ISO 11609). Significantly higher ∆E values (whitening effect) were observed for all groups (p < 0.05), except for the control, when tested in the chemo-mechanical model. In this model, the whitening ability of the toothpastes was mainly determined by their abrasive levels. For the chemical model, no significant differences were observed among groups (p > 0.05). Whitening dentifrices can be effective in preventing and removing enamel surface staining, when associated with tooth-brushing abrasion. This was modulated by the abrasive level of the tested toothpastes, with no chemical action attributed to the chemical agents.