Clinical evaluation of in-office tooth whitening with violet LED (405 nm): A double-blind randomized controlled clinical trial

Abstract

Background: Although there is little evidence showing the effectiveness of violet LED on in-office tooth whitening, there are some studies which have reported satisfactory results. This double-blind randomized controlled clinical trial aimed to evaluate the effect of a violet light emission diode (LED) (405 nm) system, used in-office, on tooth whitening, sensitivity, use of medication after whitening and quality of life.

Methods: Eight patients were randomized into 4 groups (n = 20): G1 - violet LED, G2 - 35% carbamide peroxide (CP) and violet LED, G3 only CP 35% and G4 35% hydrogen peroxide (HP). The color was measured using a spectrophotometer at the following times: baseline, 15 and 180days. The colorimetric changes were analyzed using measurements from the CieLab System ΔE (ΔL, Δa and Δb) and the WID (Whiteness Index for Dentistry) for the 4 groups. Tooth sensitivity was recorded via a visual analog scale (VAS). Additionally, the Psychosocial Impact of Dental. Aesthetics Questionnaire (PIDAQ) was used to evaluate quality of life.

Results: For the analysis of ΔL, G4 and G2 presented more brightness than G1 and G3 (p<0.05), implying that G2 is at least as good as G4 (p>0.05). For measure of Δa, G4 presented better results, standing out from the other groups. (p<0.05). For Δb, both G4 and G2 showed a greater tendency for blue color than groups G1 and G3 (p <0.05). When analyzing ∆E at the 180-day follow up, G4 produced the highest ∆E, while G3 showed the lowest ∆E. The other 2 whitening groups produced intermediate ∆E values. For ∆W, G1 and G3 significantly differed from G2 and G3. When analyzing the 180-day follow up, G2 produced the highest ∆W, while G3 showed the lowest ∆W. The other two whitening treatments produced intermediate ∆W values. As for sensitivity, only G4 patients showed dental sensitivity within 24 h of the bleaching, with pain ceasing after 48 h. For G4, 33% of the patients needed to take analgesics within the first 24 h after the first 3 whitening sessions. For PIDAQ, there was no overall decrease in score over time for any of the groups and there was no difference between them (p>0.05).

Conclusion: Our results showed that violet LED was not able to whiten teeth at the same intensity, when used alone, as it was when associated with 35% CP, contrary to our initial hypothesis. However, given that pain was not consistently reported in G2, one could suggest that treatment with LED + 35% CP is quite similar to that of 35% HP when used for tooth whitening, but with better pain outcomes. All treatments suggested an improvement in quality of life.Clinical Trial Registry: This trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov; the registration number is NCT03192852 https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03192852.

Keywords: Carbamide peroxide; Color change; Hydrogen peroxide; Tooth sensitivity; Tooth whitening; Violet LED.