Purpose:
To evaluate microscopically the response of pulps of sound human premolar teeth subjected to professionally applied vital tooth bleaching with a 38% H2O2 bleaching gel catalysed or not by a halogen light source.
Materials/Methods:
- N= 12 pairs of maxillary and mandibular premolars of 12-18 yr olds that were going to be extracted for orthodontic reasons.
- Experimental(n=10) Control(n=4)
- Group 1: bleaching gel + halogen light 38% hydrogen peroxide(H2O2) bleaching gel (Opalescence X-tra Boost)
- Group 2: bleaching gel
- Group 3: no treatment (control)
2-15 days later extracted teeth and prepared for histology with light microscopy.
Results:
Group 1 and 2 had mild histologic changes
Clinical Significance:
Vital tooth bleaching with a 38% H2O2 gel with or without application by a halogen light source did not cause damage to the pulp tissue of sound human premolar teeth.