Effect of mouthwashes on color stability of composite resins: A systematic review

Some mouthwash ingredients may stain composite resin restorations, but how the daily use of mouthwashes might affect the color of composite resin restorations is unclear.

The purpose of this systematic review was to investigate whether mouthwashes can affect the color of direct composite resin restorations.

Bibliographical searches were carried out in PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science databases, with no restriction on language, country, or date of publication. Studies addressing the effect of mouthwashes on the color stability of composite resins were included. The level of evidence of selected articles was determined by a qualitative scoring system and classified as high, moderate, or low.

Based on the search strategy, a total of 129 articles were retrieved; of which, 15 met the inclusion criteria. Most of the studies (93%) were classified as having a high level of evidence. Filtek Z350 and Listerine were the most frequently tested composite resin and mouthwash. Eight studies used distilled water as a control, 5 used artificial saliva, 1 study used an alcohol solution, and 1 did not include a control group. The composite resins were continuously immersed in the mouthwashes in 9 studies or in daily cycles in 6 studies. All studies tested the color change of the specimens after immersion in the mouthwashes. The color change was considered clinically acceptable (ΔE≤2.7) for all test mouthwashes in 10 studies.

Most studies reported that mouthwashes did not cause a clinically unacceptable color change in composite resins.