An In Situ Study of the Influence of Staining Beverages on Color Alteration of Bleached Teeth

The aim of this study was to evaluate overall color change in bovine tooth fragments submitted to dental bleaching treatment performed simultaneously with the ingestion of beverages containing dyes. For this purpose, tooth fragments assembled into intraoral devices were submitted to at-home dental bleaching using 10% carbamide peroxide (CP) for 14 days and to immersion in staining beverages for 10 minutes daily. The specimens were divided into the following study groups according to bleaching treatment and staining substance (n=12): G I (negative control): no bleaching + distilled water; G II (positive control): bleaching + distilled water; G III: bleaching + coffee; and G IV: bleaching + grape juice. Twelve volunteers used the device continually, except during meals, oral hygiene, dental bleaching, and pigment challenge. Color readings were performed using a spectrophotometer both before the bleaching treatment and after each treatment week. The results were submitted to the normality test. The data obtained were submitted to analysis of variance and the Tukey or Kruskal-Wallis and Dunn tests (α=0.05). All bleached groups showed similar ΔE results at the end of treatment. Staining beverages generated negative ΔL mean values, and the lowest result was obtained in the treatment with coffee after 14 days. The Δa values in the groups that received treatment with staining beverages were higher when compared to the control groups. Dental bleaching associated with the consumption of staining substances may not affect overall tooth color change by the end of the treatment, although the consumption of staining substances did influence the different color dimensions.