Effects of in-office bleaching agents on polished and unpolished nanofilled resin composite

This study investigates the effects of in-office bleaching agents on the color change and surface roughness of nanofilled resin composite finished by various polishing procedures.

The authors made 108 specimens from nanofilled resin composite, and the finishing and polishing procedures were performed with either Sof-Lex (3M ESPE) or OneGloss (Shofu). The specimens were then immersed in tea or coffee solution for 1 week, after which in-office bleaching agents were applied (n = 9). After polishing and bleaching, the surface roughness was measured with a surface profilometer. The specimen color parameters were measured with the Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage L∗a∗b∗ system in 3 stages, namely after polishing, after staining, and at the end of the bleaching procedure. The total color changes (ΔE_ab∗) were calculated, and ΔE_ab∗ not exceeding 2.7 was considered a clinically acceptable threshold.

The highest initial roughness value was observed on surfaces polished with OneGloss. In all groups, the surface roughness increased significantly after bleaching. For the Sof-Lex group specimens stained in both tea and coffee solutions, bleaching agent Opalescence Boost (Ultradent) reduced the color change value to 2.7 or less after bleaching.

In-office bleaching agents increased surface roughness in all groups, especially on unpolished surfaces. However, surface roughness was at an acceptable threshold for the multistep polished group, Sof-Lex, after bleaching. Nanofilled resin composite staining can be partially reduced by in-office bleaching agents but not completely removed.

To reduce the increase in surface roughness of composite restorations due to bleaching, polishing should be applied before and after bleaching.