Comparison of treatment time versus patient satisfaction in at-home and in-office tooth bleaching therapy.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM: There are different approaches and treatment times to achieve tooth whitening.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of different agents and the treatment time required to achieve participant satisfaction with at-home and in-office tooth whitening.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: Thirty participants were selected based on the shade of the anterior teeth (between A2 and A3.5; Vita Classic Shade Guide). Each participant received both in-office and at-home bleaching agents in a split-mouth design at both arches. In-office bleaching was performed in the maxillary quadrants, applying 35% hydrogen peroxide (HP35%) (right) and 35% HP with calcium (HP35%Ca) (left) for 40 minutes/week. Home bleaching was performed in mandibular quadrants using carbamide peroxide 10% (CP10%) (right) and CP22% (left) for 2 hours/day. Bleaching treatments were performed until participant satisfaction was achieved (maximum 6 sessions [S] in the dental office or 6 weeks [W] in the home). The shade was measured with a spectrophotometer before treatment, then at 2 and 4 weeks, and at the last week for at-home bleaching; and 1 week after the second, fourth, and last sessions for in-office bleaching. Student t and Tukey-Kramer tests were used (α=.05).

RESULTS: All bleaching agents were effective for vital tooth whitening. No significant differences were observed for color changes between CP10% and CP22% or between HP35% and HP35%Ca for all periods. Treatment times required to achieve patient satisfaction for the in-office bleaching technique were 4S (12 participants), 5S (10 participants), and 6S (8 participants); and 4W (6 participants), 5W (8 participants), and 6W (16 participants) for the at-home bleaching technique.

CONCLUSIONS: Treatment time to participant satisfaction ranged from 4 to 6 weeks regardless of the bleaching agent used in at-home and in-office therapy.