Prerestorative bleaching: effect on microleakage of Class V cavities

Area of Science:

• Dental Materials Science
• Restorative Dentistry

Background:

• Tooth bleaching is a common cosmetic procedure.
• Concerns exist regarding its potential effects on dental restorative materials.
• Understanding the impact of bleaching on microleakage is crucial for clinical practice.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effect of prerestorative tooth bleaching on the microleakage of Class V composite resin restorations.
• To determine if carbamide peroxide bleaching influences the marginal seal of dental restorations.

Main Methods:

• Extracted premolars were divided into control and carbamide peroxide bleaching groups.
• Class V cavities were prepared, and restorations were placed using two different bonding systems.
• Microleakage was assessed using dye penetration after thermal cycling.

Main Results:

• Prerestorative bleaching with carbamide peroxide gel did not significantly affect the microleakage of Class V composite resin restorations.
• No discernible difference in marginal seal was observed between bleached and unbleached teeth.
• The bonding systems used (Scotchbond 2/Silux Plus and Prisma Universal Bond 3/AP.H) did not alter the bleaching effect on microleakage.

Conclusions:

• Tooth bleaching with carbamide peroxide prior to restoration placement does not compromise the marginal integrity of Class V composite restorations.
• Clinicians can be assured that bleaching does not negatively impact the seal of subsequent composite restorations.
• Further research may explore long-term effects and different bleaching agents.