The Impact of a Customized Tray on In-Office Bleaching Tooth Sensitivity: A Randomized Clinical Trial

It was recently demonstrated that using a tray over a bleaching agent reduces its pulpal chamber penetration, which can reduce tooth sensitivity. This study evaluated the effect of the sealed technique on the presence and level of sensitivity reported by patients during and after the bleaching procedure performed in office.

Forty-six patients underwent a bleaching procedure with 35% hydrogen peroxide used in a single application of 45 minutes for two sessions with an interval of seven days. A customized tray was maintained over the bleaching agent during the entire procedure in half of the patients. The sensitivity level was evaluated during and immediately after the bleaching using verbal and visual analogue scales. The shade alteration was evaluated with a bleach guide scale. The peak sensitivity after 24 hours and the presence/level at 24 hours were also evaluated using a verbal rating scale. Relative risks were calculated for all time assessments. Data on the sensitivity level for both scales were subjected to Friedman and Mann-Whitney tests (α=0.05). Data on the shades were analyzed by two-way repeated-measures analysis of variance and Tukey's test (α=0.05).

The use of a customized tray increased the relative risks to the tooth measured 24 hours after each bleaching session. The sealed technique also increased the level of tooth sensitivity only at 24 hours after the first session. No difference was observed between the bleaching techniques regarding the shade evaluation.

Using a tray over the bleaching agent can increase the level and risk of tooth sensitivity for the first 24 hours after in-office bleaching.