Three-month evaluation of vital tooth bleaching using light units-a randomized clinical study

Area of Science:

• Dentistry
• Cosmetic Dentistry

Background:

• Vital bleaching is a common cosmetic dental procedure.
• Assessing the long-term color stability of different bleaching activation methods is crucial for clinical practice.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the color stability of vital teeth bleaching using halogen, laser, or chemical activation up to three months post-treatment.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of different activation methods on shade change and stability.

Main Methods:

• Sixty patients underwent vital bleaching with 38% hydrogen peroxide, divided into three groups: halogen, laser, or chemical activation only.
• Bleaching sessions were standardized, with color evaluated visually and spectrophotometrically before, immediately after, and at one and three months post-treatment.

Main Results:

• Immediately after bleaching, halogen activation yielded superior results compared to laser (p≤0.05).
• At one and three months, no significant differences in shade change were observed between halogen, laser, and chemical activation (p>0.05).
• Halogen group showed stable color over three months, while laser and chemical activation groups exhibited continued whitening (p≤0.05).

Conclusions:

• While halogen activation offers immediate whitening benefits, laser and chemical activation provide comparable long-term color stability for vital bleaching.
• The choice of acceleration method does not significantly affect esthetic outcomes at three months post-treatment.
• Further research may explore optimal protocols for each activation method to balance immediate and long-term results.