Using light activation with in-office bleaching appears to increase the efficacy of treatment, but only for a short time, according to a study in the Journal of Contemporary Dental Practice (January 2010, Vol. 11:1, pp. 17-24).
Researchers from the department of restorative sciences at Kuwait University randomly divided 40 patients into four groups according to treatment. Group A received 35% hydrogen peroxide (HP). Group B received 35% HP plus BriteSmile and a blue curing light. Group C received 35% HP plus QuickSmile and an LED curing light. Group D received 35% HP and a Zoom2 metal halide curing light.
All four groups received one bleaching session with three 20-minute applications of bleaching gel. The researchers evaluated the shade before bleaching, immediately after, and one month after treatment.
Among their findings:
- Group B had the best results immediately after bleaching.
- One month postbleaching no difference in shade was seen among the four groups.
- Patients in Group B were the most satisfied with the outcome.
"Using light activation with in-office bleaching seems to increase the efficacy of treatment only for a short period of time," the authors concluded.
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