Longitudinal, Randomized, and Parallel Clinical Trial Comparing a Violet Light-Emitting Diodes System and In-Office Dental Bleaching: 6-Month Follow-Up

Trends and Gaps in Clinical Research on Tooth Bleaching: A Bibliometric Analysis of Studies Published From 2001 to 2024

INTRODUCTION

The objective of this bibliometric review is to address the main trends and development in dental whitening throughout the 21st century, as well as to identify knowledge gaps on the subject.

METHOD

A search was conducted in the Web of Science Core Collection database and information was extracted regarding the journal, authors, keywords, year of publication, number of citations, country, continent of the corresponding author. After reading the articles, data such as study design, type of bleaching technique, types of light sources used with the bleaching, occurrence of tooth sensitivity, and tooth color change analysis method were extracted.

RESULTS

The journal with the largest number of publications was "Operative dentistry" (n = 61), and the authors with the most articles were Loguercio AD (n = 82) and Reis A (n = 76). The productions are concentrated in Brazil, with emphasis on the State University Ponta Grossa. Most of the articles are randomized clinical studies that used the in-office bleaching technique with 35% hydrogen peroxide.

CONCLUSION

Our results show that the most recent studies used light sources such as a violet LED during whitening; however, more studies are needed to prove the benefits in relation to color change and reduction of tooth sensitivity.

Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Different Types of Professional Tooth Whitening: A Systematic Review

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES

Tooth whitening is a cosmetic dental treatment that improves the color of natural teeth, making them whiter and brighter; this review aimed to evaluate the greater effectiveness of in-office, at-home, and combined bleaching with hydrogen or carbamide peroxide, also in relation to possible relapses and side effects (tooth sensitivity).

METHODS

A literature search has been carried out through electronic databases, PubMed/MEDLINE, and Cochrane Library, focused on the use of the effectiveness of in-office, at-home, and combined dental bleaching. This review has been registered on PROSPERO (ID613248).

RESULTS

30 articles have been included. Most of the studies did not find any more effective treatment than the proposed treatments; all types of bleaching have been shown to be effective in changing color; in the studies that have compared in-office and at-home bleaching, there was a lower recurrence of treatment with the use of the at-home trays with carbamide peroxide gel. There were no clear positions regarding tooth sensitivity, which would appear to be higher in professional in-office and combined dental bleaching.

CONCLUSIONS

Bleaching is an effective treatment for the change of color of the tooth regardless of the type used (concentrations, type of gel, and duration of sessions), although, at home, it would seem to be more effective over time. It is, however, a clinical feature that may give a risk of tooth sensitivity after treatment.

Physicochemical evaluation of hydrogen peroxide bleaching gels containing titanium dioxide catalytic agent, and their influence on dental color change associated with violet LED

BACKGROUND

The purpose of this study was: 1) to analyze the physical-chemical properties of hydrogen peroxide (HP) agents at 7.5% (HP7) and 35% (HP35), and the association with or without TiO₂ nanotubes; 2) to evaluate dental bleaching effectiveness by using HP7 and HP35 together with or without TiO₂ nanotubes, and applied with or without violet LED (VL).

METHODOLOGY

80 bovine incisors were treated according to groups (n = 10): HP35; HP35 + VL; HP35T (HP35 + TiO₂); HP35T + VL; HP7; HP7 + VL; HP7T (HP7 + TiO₂); HP7T + VL. Bleaching effectiveness was measured at 4 time points according to the Vita Classical, CIEL*a*b*, CIEDE2000, and WI_D parameters. HP35, HP35T, HP7, and HP7T were evaluated for mass change, pH, mean particle size (P), polydispersity (PDI), and zeta potential (ZP), over 6 months of storage.

RESULTS

The pH of HP35 thickener was higher when associated to TiO₂. At baseline, both of the bleaching gels containing TiO₂ had lower P, PDI, and PZ (p < 0.05). All groups showed a significant decrease in Vita Classical color scores (p = 0.0037). There was a higher L* value, and lower b* values for HP7 when associated to VL after the 3rd session. (p < 0.05). HP35T showed higher color change (ΔE_ab, ΔE₀₀), and lower a* value in the presence of VL (p < 0.05). ΔWI_D presented lower values for both gels, when TiO₂ was incorporated (p ≤ 0.05).

CONCLUSION

The incorporation of TiO₂ to the bleaching gel showed good stability with minimal variations in physical-chemical properties. The color change in HP35 was more effective than in HP7, but the VL boosted the bleaching effectiveness of HP7, whereas TiO₂ did not increase bleaching effectiveness.

Blinded, Parallel and Randomized Clinical Evaluation of In-office Dental Bleaching with Violet LED (405-410 nm)

This clinical study evaluated the effect of bleaching performed with violet LED light (405-410 nm), either combined with hydrogen peroxide (HP) gel, or not, on color change, dental sensitivity, participants' satisfaction and impact on their quality of life. A hundred participants were divided into one of the groups (n = 25): G1 - 35% HP (4 sessions, 1x/week); G2 - violet LED (4 sessions, 1x/week); G3 - violet LED (4 sessions, 2x/week); G4 - hybrid technique (violet LED + 35% HP; 4 sessions, 1x/week). Color evaluation was performed with colorimetric tests (objective and subjective), before, 14 days and 3 months after completion. Additionally, satisfaction with treatment, impact on quality of life (OHIP-14) and dental sensitivity were recorded. The data were submitted to statistical analysis, considering a significance level of 5%, with the exception of the data from the questionnaire on satisfaction (descriptive analysis). Two-way ANOVA and Tukey tests showed that there was no difference between color variation resulting from techniques used in G1 and G4; those used in G2 and G3 did not differ and were less effective for bleaching than those of the other groups, in both subjective and objective evaluations. Regarding tooth sensitivity, subjects in G2 and G3 experienced no sensitivity, ​​while those in G4 showed lower sensitivity values than those in G1. With respect to quality of life, only subjects in G1 and G2 showed a significant positive impact. Among the evaluated techniques, the hybrid type seemed to be a good alternative, showing effective bleaching with less tooth sensitivity.