An 8% hydrogen peroxide bleaching agent was found to be effective in patients wearing fixed orthodontic appliances, according to a study published in the American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics.
Researchers assessed six anterior maxillary teeth of 40 patients ages 18 to 40. The patients were divided into two groups: in group A, the patients used the bleaching agent during orthodontic treatment; in group B, the patients used the bleaching agent after orthodontic treatment. For each group, a record of the initial tooth shade was taken with a polyvinyl siloxane matrix and a spectrophotometer.
The groups had bleaching treatments with [removed]Opalescence Treswhite Ortho[/removed] (from Ultradent) for 10 days in 45-minute sessions. For group A, the treatment was performed 10 days before finishing orthodontic treatment; at the end of the treatment, a new tooth shade record was taken with the polyvinyl siloxane matrix and a spectrophotometer. The subjects in group B had the same bleaching protocol after their brackets were removed.
For the group without brackets, the color alteration ranged from 3 to 12. For the group with brackets, the range was between 4 and 13, indicating significant tooth bleaching in both groups with and without brackets (P > 0.05), the researchers noted.
"Opalescence Treswhite Ortho was shown to be an efficient bleaching agent in patients wearing fixed orthodontic appliances," they concluded.
