The use of dentinal etching with endodontic bleaching procedures

Area of Science:

• Dentistry
• Endodontics
• Dental Materials

Background:

• Smear layer removal increases dentin permeability by opening dentinal tubules.
• Acid etching intracoronal dentin is practiced before nonvital bleaching to enhance speed and effectiveness.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the effectiveness of nonvital tooth bleaching with and without prior acid etching of the pulp chamber.

Main Methods:

• Extracted human teeth stained in vitro were used.
• One group underwent acid etching with 50% phosphoric acid to remove the smear layer before bleaching.
• The control group had no acid etching before bleaching with 30% hydrogen peroxide/sodium perborate.

Main Results:

• Evaluators could not distinguish a significant difference in bleaching effectiveness between the two groups.
• The presence or absence of the smear layer did not impact the outcome of the walking bleach procedure.

Conclusions:

• Acid etching the pulp chamber to remove the smear layer prior to nonvital bleaching does not significantly enhance the effectiveness of the walking bleach technique.
• Further research may be needed to explore alternative methods for improving nonvital bleaching efficacy.