2011 Volume 54 Issue 2 Pages 131-141
The purpose of this clinical study was to evaluate the effect and safety of a new in-office bleaching material containing visible light activating titanium oxide photocatalyst (TiON in Office, GC). Anterior teeth of 72 patients were selected at the University Hospital of Dentistry, Tokyo Medical and Dental University or Aichi Gakuin University Dental Hospital with the permission of each Institutional Review Board. After informed consent, teeth were bleached with TiON in Office by three times of application and photo activation according to the manufacturer's instructions. The lightness of the tooth before and after bleaching was measured by a visual assessment using the Vitapan Classical Shade Guide (Vita, Germany). One of the teeth of each patient was selected as being representative for the evaluation. The obtained data was statistically analyzed by the Wilcoxon signed-rank test (p<0.05). Every adverse event during and after the bleaching procedure was recorded. Although the bleaching effects varied among the patients, the lightness of the bleached tooth was improved in all patients and a statistical difference was found between before and after bleaching. Thirteen adverse events were observed: 11 were whiteness of marginal gingival by accidental contact with the bleaching gel, which was not accompanied by any patient discomfort and had recovered by the time of the next visit; one was gingivitis which seemed to have no relationship with the bleaching procedure; and one was a slight disorder of the upper lip after bleaching, which could have been a side effect of the testing material. Spontaneous pain or postoperative sensitivity was not found during and after bleaching. It was concluded that TiON in Office is safe and effective for vital tooth bleaching.
