Vital Bleaching with Whitening Strips: Summary of Clinical Research on Effectiveness and Tolerability

Abstract

Rapid innovation in vital bleaching has increased the popularity of tooth whitening among dental professionals and patients. A broad range of peroxide-based treatments are currently available including those that are professionally-administered (in-office), professionally-dispensed (custom-tray-based systems), and self-directed (over-the-counter). Recently, a novel, flexible polyethylene bleaching strip was introduced that delivers a hydrogen peroxide bleaching gel to the anterior dentition. This "trayless" system, available in professional-strength and over-the-counter versions, reportedly offers advantages with respect to overall peroxide dose, contact time, and ease-of-use compared to other delivery systems. This paper reviews the relevant published clinical research on whitening strips tested among a broad range of patients commonly encountered in contemporary dental practices.

Comparison of efficacy of tray-delivered carbamide and hydrogen peroxide for at-home bleaching: a systematic review and meta-analysis

“…Although there is a consensus that this might be responsible for some degree of gingival irritation, we have confirmed this in the present and earlier meta-analyses of the literature [13,57].…”

Dental bleaching efficacy with diode laser and LED irradiation: An in vitro study

“…All combinations achieved higher lightness values and in terms of hue, the teeth experienced a slight green shift during the bleaching procedure when analyzed through the spectrophotometer. Gerlach and Zhou [23] reported an improvement of DL* of two units with a whitening strip product. Sulieman et al [24] found an average change in DL* of around 20 units when investigating various bleaching regimes.…”

The effect of hydrogen peroxide concentration on the outcome of tooth whitening: an in vitro study

“…13 Similarly, power bleaching agents using 35% hydrogen peroxide with or without light and/or heat activation has also been shown to be effective. 14 A laboratory study has found that a 15% carbamide peroxide solution bleached more quickly than a 5 or 10% solution.…”