High-concentration carbamide peroxide containing home bleaching may cause a varying influence on the microhardness of esthetic restorative materials.
SUMMARYThis study evaluated the effect of a highconcentration carbamide peroxide-containing home bleaching system (Opalescence PF) and a hydrogen peroxide-containing over-the-counter bleaching system (Treswhite Supreme) on the microhardness of two nanocomposites (Filtek Supreme XT and Premise) and leucitereinforced glass ceramic (Empress Esthetic), glass ceramic (Empress 2 layering), and feldspathic porcelain (Matchmaker MC). A total of 100 specimens, 20 of each kind of the restorative materials, 2 mm in thickness and 10 mm in diameter, were fabricated. Then the specimens were polished with SiC paper and 1 lm alumina polishing paste. After polishing, porcelain specimens were glazed in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions. Each type of restorative material was then randomly divided into two groups (n¼10), and the specimens were treated with either Opalescence PF or Treswhite Supreme. The microhardness of the specimens before bleaching (baseline) and after bleaching was determined using a digital microhardness tester. Data were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U-test and the Wilcoxon test.Opalescence PF significantly influenced the hardness of all the restorative materials. Statistically significant decreases with respect to before bleaching were found for Premise (p¼0.005), Empress Esthetic (p¼0.003), Empress 2 layering (p¼0.005), and Matchmaker-MC (p¼0.003), whereas a statistically significant