The whitening effect of bleaching agents on tetracycline-stained rat teeth

This study compared the whitening effect of three bleaching agents on the teeth of rats and demonstrated differences in bleaching where dentin was exposed or enamel was thin. Thirty Albino rats were peritoneally injected with tetracycline solution daily for two weeks. Thirty-two disc-shaped specimens were cut from the crowns of incisors removed from sacrificed rats and were irradiated with UV light for 16 hours. Sections were stored in saline. Eight sections served as controls and were not bleached. Three bleaching agents (Opalescence, Rembrandt and Nite White) were applied to eight specimens each, five times a day for two weeks, and images of the sections were recorded at the following times: before bleaching (baseline), day 1, day 3, day 5, day 7, day 9, day 11 and day 14. Mean colors to demonstrate any change (deltaE) from baseline for each time period were as follows: control-9.78 (baseline), 9.17, 9.36, 9.65, 9.40, 9.99, 10.57, 11.36; Opalescence-10.08, (baseline) 7.63, 6.72, 6.04, 5.10, 4.87, 4.89, 4.27; Rembrandt-9.83 (baseline), 11.27, 9.55, 8.36, 7.75, 6.94, 7.11, 7.04; Nite White-10.44 (baseline), 9.92, 7.58, 6.80, 5.45, 5.05, 4.73, 4.01. All bleached teeth were lightened (p<.01). Another 56 tetracycline-stained rat incisors were UV irradiated for three days. Three different penetration depths were tested: penetration through lingual dentin and labial enamel (DN group), penetration through labial enamel only (RE group) and penetration through labial enamel covered with 1.0 mm human enamel (HE group). Specimens were bleached with Opalescence for one hour five times a day for one week or four weeks. A control group of unbleached teeth was also examined. Results (deltaE) were as follows: control--11.67; 1-week DN--13.55; 1-week RE--12.80; 1-week HE--12.07; 4-week DN--7.48; 4-week RE--7.50; 4-week HE--11.69. The color change in the 4-week DN and the 4-week RE groups showed the greatest reduction (p<.01).