Micro-structural integrity of dental enamel subjected to two tooth whitening regimes

• Published in: Archives of oral biology Vol. 55; no. 4; pp. 300 - 308
• Main Authors: Tanaka, Reina, Shibata, Yo, Manabe, Atsufumi, Miyazaki, Takashi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01.04.2010
• Subjects: Advanced Basic Science; Analysis of Variance; Bleach; Color; Dental Enamel - diagnostic imaging; Dental Enamel - drug effects; Dental Enamel - ultrastructure; Dentistry; Enamel; Humans; Hydrogen Peroxide; Imaging, Three-Dimensional; Micro-computed tomography; Mineralisation; Peroxides; Spectrophotometry; Statistics, Nonparametric; Surface Properties; Tooth Bleaching - methods; Tooth Demineralization - chemically induced; Tooth Remineralization; Urea - analogs & derivatives; X-Ray Microtomography; Bleach; Micro-computed tomography; Mineralisation; Enamel
• ISSN: 0003-9969; 1879-1506
• DOI: 10.1016/j.archoralbio.2010.02.009

Abstract Colour modification of tooth enamel has proven successful, but it is unclear how various bleaching applications affect micro-structural integrity of the whitened enamel. To investigate the internal structural integrity of human intact tooth enamel with the application of two commonly used whitening regimes (in-office power bleaching with 35% hydrogen peroxide and home bleaching with 10% carbamide peroxide), evaluations were performed on teeth of identical colour classification. After the bleaching applications, the enamel mineral density was quantified and visualised with micro-computed tomography. The micro-structural differences between the whitened tooth enamel samples were distinctive, though the colour parameter changes within the samples were equivalent. Home bleaching achieved colour modification by demineralisation, whereas in-office bleaching depended on redistribution of the minerals after treatment and subsequent enhanced mineralisation.