Method: Healthy adults with no previous history of vital tooth bleaching, who desired tooth whitening and provided informed consent were recruited. Enrolled subjects were randomly assigned (2:1) to either flexible/stretchable 10% hydrogen peroxide strips used 1-hour daily at-home for 14 days or a peroxide gel plus laser in-office treatment (LaserWhite20 and Epic™ 940µm Diode Laser System, Biolase, USA). Efficacy was measured objectively as L*a*b* color change from blinded digital images of the maxillary anterior teeth at Baseline and post-treatment Days 11 & 15, while safety was assessed from clinical examination and interview.
Result: Forty-one subjects ranged in age from 21 to 58 years old, and 76% were females. Relative to baseline, the flexible/stretchable 10% hydrogen peroxide whitening strips exhibited significant (p<0.01) improvement in both yellowness (Δb*) and lightness (ΔL*) at Day 11. Comparing treatments, the Day 15 adjusted Δb* and ΔL* means (SE) were –1.91 (0.16) and 2.19 (0.17) for the strip group and –0.64 (0.24) and 0.75 (0.27) for the gel+laser control, with groups differing significantly (p£0.0002) on color improvement. Mild transient tooth sensitivity and oral irritation were two most common adverse events, and these were observed and/or reported in both treatment groups.
Conclusion: Use of flexible/stretchable 10% hydrogen peroxide whitening strips for two weeks resulted in superior whitening response compared to an in-office laser-aided whitening system.