A double blind randomized clinical trial of at-home tooth bleaching using two carbamide peroxide concentrations: 6-month follow-up

ObjectivesThis double blind randomized clinical trial evaluated the longevity of the whitening effect (6-month follow-up) of two carbamide peroxide concentrations used in at-home vital bleaching.MethodsNinety-two volunteers with shade mean C1 or darker for the six maxillary anterior teeth were randomized into two balanced groups (n = 46) according to bleaching agent concentration: 10% (CP10) or 16% (CP16) carbamide peroxide. Patients were instructed to use the whitening agent in a tray for 2 h/day during 3 weeks. Shade evaluations were done with a value-oriented shade guide, and a spectrophotometer at baseline, and at 1-week and 6-month post-bleaching. Volunteers for both treatment groups had to answer questions related to dietary and oral hygiene behavior.ResultsAt 6-month recall, tooth shade remained significantly lighter than at baseline, in both treatment groups, considering the color parameters: ΔL*, Δa*, Δb*, ΔE* (p < 0.0001) or the tooth shade median values (p < 0.001). Additionally, shade median relapse at 6-month follow-up was not statistically different between CP10 and CP16 groups using the spectrophotometer (p = 0.1) or the visual matching (p = 0.7) analyses. Overall, subjects from CP10 and CP16 reported high consumption of beverage and food stains, which was not different between groups (p = 0.5).ConclusionsThe whitening effect remained similar 6-month after the bleaching treatment for both carbamide peroxide concentrations tested. Additionally, the high consumption of staining beverages and foods reported by patients had no influence in the whitening effect longevity at 6-month.