Comparison of Two At-home Whitening Products of Similar Peroxide Concentration

“Objectives:” This study compared the whitening efficacy, side effects, and patients' preferences/perceptions of two whitening systems of similar peroxide concentration but different formulation and delivery methods, using visual and instrumental shade matching .“Methods:” The tooth color change of 24 subjects was measured using a shade guide (BSG) and spectrophotometer (ES). Color difference was calculated: deltaE*= [(deltaL*)2 + (deltaa*ab)2 + (deltab*ab)2]1/2. One whitening treatment was randomly applied to the right or left maxillary anterior teeth and the other was applied to the contralateral maxillary anterior teeth, at-home for 30 minutes twice a day, with 35% carbamide peroxide- Opalescence PF (TW) in a tray, or with 14% hydrogen peroxide- Crest Whitestrips Supreme (WS) in strips. The tooth color was evaluated at baseline, fifteen and thirty days (fifteen days post-whitening). Subjects rated their tooth and soft tissue sensitivity (1–10 scale) and completed a questionnaire on their preferences. The results were analyzed by two-way RM ANOVA/Tukey's and Mann-Whitney (p<0.05). “Results:” At fifteen days, the teeth treated with TW and WS presented deltaE* = 7 and 6, respectively, deltaBSG=3, and at 30 days, they presented deltaE* = 7.5 and 6.5 (p <0.05), respectively, deltaBSG = 3. There was no significant difference in tooth and soft tissue sensitivity between the two treatments. No subject reported tooth and gingival sensitivity at the post-whitening appointment. 83% of the subjects preferred the TW, 75% found TW more comfortable to the teeth, and only 38% found it more comfortable to the soft tissue than SW. “Conclusion:” Despite the fact that deltaE*showed a statistical but not clinically signficant color difference between treatments, deltaBSG showed that there is no significant difference in tooth color change between TW and SW. By the end of the study no subjects reported tooth and gingival sensitivity. Subjects preferred TW over SW. Funded by Ultradent.