Clinical trial comparing two daytime hydrogen-peroxide professional vital-bleaching systems

Area of Science:

• Dentistry
• Cosmetic Dentistry
• Dental Materials

Background:

• Professional vital-bleaching systems are widely used for tooth whitening.
• Hydrogen peroxide is a common active ingredient in these systems.
• Comparing different delivery systems and concentrations is crucial for optimizing treatment outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the whitening effectiveness and tolerability of two professional, daytime, hydrogen-peroxide vital-bleaching systems.
• Evaluate 14% hydrogen-peroxide whitening strips against a 9.5% hydrogen-peroxide custom-tray system.
• Assess objective color changes and subjective at-home tolerability.

Main Methods:

• A randomized clinical trial involving 31 adults who had never bleached their teeth.
• Participants were assigned to either 14% hydrogen-peroxide whitening strips or a 9.5% hydrogen-peroxide custom-tray system.
• Treatment involved twice-daily application for 30 minutes over 9-21 days. Objective color change was measured using L*a*b* values, and tolerability was assessed via bleaching tolerability severity days (BTSD) scores.

Main Results:

• The 14% hydrogen-peroxide strips showed a significantly greater reduction in yellowness (delta b* of -3.35) compared to the 9.5% custom-tray system (delta b* of -1.67).
• Significant differences were observed in delta L* and delta W* values, favoring the strip group.
• The whitening strips demonstrated significantly better at-home tolerability, with lower BTSD scores (0.09) compared to the custom trays (0.38), particularly regarding oral irritation.

Conclusions:

• The 14% hydrogen-peroxide whitening strips are more effective in reducing tooth yellowness than the 9.5% hydrogen-peroxide custom-tray system.
• The strip system offers superior in-use tolerability, with reduced instances of oral irritation.
• Professional whitening strips represent a highly effective and well-tolerated option for vital tooth bleaching.