Objective Image-Based Assessment of Tooth Translucency Changes Following Different Bleaching Protocols: A...

Area of Science:

• Dental biomaterials
• Optical properties of teeth
• Aesthetic dentistry

Background:

• Tooth bleaching is a common aesthetic dental procedure.
• Tooth translucency is an optical property crucial for biomimetic dentistry.
• Evaluating bleaching effects on translucency requires objective methods.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess changes in tooth translucency after three different bleaching protocols.
• To validate an objective, image-based, and spatially resolved method for translucency assessment.
• To compare the impact of in-office versus at-home bleaching on tooth translucency.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of spectrophotometric images from a randomized clinical trial.
• Comparison of three bleaching systems: in-office 6% hydrogen peroxide, at-home 6% hydrogen peroxide, and at-home 16% carbamide peroxide.
• Image analysis using ImageJ to quantify translucency parameters (area, grey intensity, RGB-blue).

Main Results:

• All bleaching protocols significantly increased translucency parameters (p < 0.05).
• At-home techniques induced greater translucency changes than in-office treatment (p < 0.05).
• Increased translucency persisted at six months, with weak correlations to color changes.

Conclusions:

• An image-based method effectively detected technique-dependent changes in tooth translucency post-bleaching.
• Bleaching significantly alters tooth translucency, with variations based on the method used.
• The correlation between translucency changes and overall color outcomes is weak.