The effect of whitening agents on caries susceptibility of human enamel

This in vitro study evaluated whether the treatment of human enamel with whitening agents containing different concentrations of carbamide or hydrogen peroxide changes the susceptibility of enamel to caries. Twenty-four sound human incisors were selected for this study. For each tooth, the crown was sectioned into two halves in the cervical-incisal direction. One half of the sectioned tooth was treated and the other half was used as a control specimen. Each half was randomly divided into three treatment groups (eight two-halves/group). The whitening agents were 10% carbamide peroxide, 20% carbamide peroxide with fluoride and 35% hydrogen peroxide. Following pretreatment, the specimens were demineralized for four days in an in vitro microbial caries model and then analyzed using a confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM). Results showed that there were no significant differences between the treated and controlled specimens for teeth treated with 10% carbamide peroxide or 35% hydrogen peroxide. However, specimens treated with 20% carbamide peroxide with FP (0.11% fluoride and potassium nitrate) were less susceptible to caries than their controls at p < or = 0.05. In conclusion, application of bleaching agents does not increase the caries susceptibility of human enamel.