Investigation of the bleaching efficiencies of different office type bleaching techniques and the changes caused on the enamel surface

Abstract

The aim of this in vitro study is to evaluate the bleaching efficiency of 5 different office bleaching methods and the changes in enamel morphology after bleaching. In this study, 75 human molar teeth are used. The teeth are divided in half in the mesiodistal direction, and a total of 150 enamel samples are obtained. The obtained samples are split into 3 main groups to evaluate the bleaching efficiency, surface roughness, and enamel surface hardness, and each group is composed of 50 samples. Then, each main group was divided into 5 separate subgroups (n = 10) containing 5 varied bleaching techniques. Before the bleaching, color measurement with a spectrophotometer, surface roughness with a profilometer, and microhardness measurement with Vickers test device are performed. After that, different bleaching procedures are applied to the 5 subgroups formed. As a result of the statistical evaluation, it is found that there is a significant level of bleaching in all groups (p < 0.05). In the comparison between the groups, there is no remarkable divergence in terms of hardness and roughness levels (p˃0.05). In light of the findings obtained from our study, we suggest that ozone can be used as an alternative bleaching agent to hydrogen peroxide. In addition, it is discovered that the use of light activation is not necessary to increase bleaching effectiveness. Finally, we believe that enamel surface morphology may be affected after office bleaching methods; therefore, various precautions should be taken before and after bleaching.