The effect of Hydrogen Peroxide on the whitening of teeth stained with two different household products

Objective: This study intends to provide literature for a case-specific, history-driven whitening protocol, in which clinicians obtain more information about the environmental factors associated with the extrinsic discoloration of a case-by-case basis to provide aided estimations for the predicted outcome and number of appointments needed to achieve whitening saturation.

Method: This study investigated how common household products such as coffee and turmeric cause extrinsic tooth staining, and the different effect Hydrogen peroxide can have on their whitening. The sample size consisted of ten teeth and their whiteness was quantified via analysis of median gray values of controlled photographs. Additionally, how the concentration of Hydrogen Peroxide changes during tooth whitening was explored and monitored using a permanganometric titration of the hydrogen peroxide used.

Results: The results regarding pigmentation showed that coffee produced darker staining (mGV= 70) of less value when compared to turmeric (mGV= 83.6). Moreover, turmeric-stained teeth were shown to achieve a better whitening saturation (final mGV = 102) in comparison to coffee-stained teeth (final mGV = 97.4). Finally, the permanganometric titration of the hydrogen peroxide used showed a faster bleaching reaction in coffee-stained teeth when compared to turmeric-stained.

Conclusion: The findings that turmeric-stained teeth were shown to achieve better whitening saturation can be possibility attributed to the nature of the chromophores present, and how they attach to the organic and inorganic components of enamel when compared to the ones present in coffee. These results are interesting for clinicians to be able to estimate the whitening potential of a stained tooth in relation to the type of staining present as well as to approximate the number of appointments needed to reach the desired outcome. Furthermore, this study provides more insight into the rate of the bleaching reactions included in tooth whitening.