Clinical comparison of at-home and in-office dental bleaching procedures: a randomized trial of a split-mouth design

Abstract

The objective of this clinical, microscopic and digital/computational study is to evaluate the possible effects of the combination of whitening techniques with carbamide and hydrogen peroxide, through these reply variables: color changing, dentinal sensitivity and alterations in the surface of the enamel structure. Tweenty volunteers will participate of this clinical research; where we will evaluate the whitening treatment based on a bleachening gel non photo-catalyzed based on hydrogen peroxide at 38% (Opalescence Boost PF - bleachening gel A), a bleaching gel based on carbamide peroxide at 10% (Opalescence - bleachening gel B) and a placebo gel. The variables will be evaluated at incisives and canines teeth. Inicially, volunteers will have their left and right superior hemi arcades submitted to 3 applications (15 minutes each) of bleachening with gels A and placebo (Phase 1), in a split- mouth study design. During the seven days following the Phase 1, volunteers will use the whitening gel B at home by four hours daily (Phase 2); these clinical steps will be repeated once again in the week following phase 2. The measurement of color changing will take place at visual and digital/computational method, before to the start of the experiment and after the application of materials; dentinal sensitivity will be analyzed during and after the application of whitening techniques, whereas the changes in the enamel surface will be analyzed in electrons microscopes (SEM), using replicas obtained before and after the application of bleaching techniques. Considering the possible qualitative ordinal variables of responses, Mann- Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests of significance at 5% will be used for analysis results.