At-Home Bleaching: Color Alteration, Hydrogen Peroxide Diffusion and Cytotoxicity

Area of Science:

• Dental Materials Science
• Biomaterials
• Oral Health

Background:

• Home bleaching with peroxide-based agents is a common aesthetic dental procedure.
• Understanding the relationship between bleaching agent concentration, exposure time, and outcomes is crucial for clinical application.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the color change, cytotoxicity, and hydrogen peroxide (HP) diffusion of different home bleaching protocols.
• To compare 10% carbamide peroxide (CP) and 6% hydrogen peroxide (HP) at varying application times.

Main Methods:

• Bovine teeth disks were used to assess HP diffusion in artificial pulp chambers.
• Cytotoxicity was evaluated using MDPC-23 cells and MTT assay.
• Color change was measured using the CIE L*a*b* system.

Main Results:

• 10% CP for 3 hours provided the most effective tooth whitening.
• 6% HP for 45 minutes resulted in the least color change.
• Reduced exposure time decreased HP diffusion, but 6% HP for 1.5 hours showed the highest diffusion.

Conclusions:

• Shorter bleaching times reduce whitening efficacy and HP diffusion.
• Increased HP diffusion does not necessarily correlate with improved bleaching effectiveness.
• None of the tested home bleaching protocols demonstrated cytotoxicity to odontoblast-like cells.