Purpose: This study investigated the role of desensitising-only and desensitising/whitening versions of arginine and calcium carbonate-containing (ACC) and calcium sodium phosphosilicate-containing (CSPS) toothpastes on surface loss and permeability of root dentine. Materials and Methods: Slabs of human root dentine were embedded and exposed to citric acid solution to create a lesion resembling hypersensitive dentine. Sixty specimens were divided into six groups and exposed to slurries made with ACC (Colgate Sensitive Pro-Relief) and CSPS (Sensodyne Repair & Protect) toothpastes, in their desensitising or desensitising/whitening versions, an ordinary toothpaste (Crest Cavity Protection) or distilled water (DI). The other 60 specimens were brushed with either slurries or DI and assessed for surface loss. All specimens were analysed for dentine permeability. Data were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Fisher's least statistically significant difference tests. Results: ANOVA (p = 0.018) showed that in the group brushed with DI surface loss was lower than in the groups brushed with toothpastes, but there was no statistically significant difference among the ordinary, desensitising-only and desensitising/whitening toothpastes. Dentine permeability was not influenced by brushing (p = 0.125). Toothpastes affected dentine permeability (p = 0.004), with the groups submitted to desensitising-only and desensitising/whitening toothpastes presenting significantly lower permeability than those submitted to DI, but no difference existed between the group treated with the ordinary toothpaste and DI. Conclusion: In comparison to desensitising-only, desensitising/whitening toothpastes neither accounted for increased surface loss nor impaired tubule occlusion of root dentine. Keywords: dentine abrasion, desensitising, permeability, toothpastes, whitening