What is the difference between the bleaching efficacy of light-emitting diode and diode laser with sodium perborate?

This summary is based on the article published in the Australian Endodontic Journal: Clinical comparison between the bleaching efficacy of light-emitting diode and diode laser with sodium perborate (April 2014)

Sibel Koçak; Mustafa Murat Koçak; and Baran Can Sağlam

Context

• Currently, more and more patients attend dental clinics to have their teeth whitened. Dentists and patients continually seek better techniques and treatments in this field of dental aesthetics.
• The contamination of the pulp cavity, irrigants, root canal and other restorative materials and pulpal injury may cause the discolouration of endodontically treated teeth ^{1, 2}.
• Hydrogen peroxide, sodium perborate and carbamide peroxide are widely used as intra-coronal bleaching agents for the treatment of discoloured teeth.
• In order to provide faster and more effective treatment, bleaching agents have been used in association with an energy source with the goal of accelerating whitening gel’s oxi-reduction reaction ³.
• Lasers have recently become popular as an energy source during intracoronal bleaching. Alternatively, LEDs are relatively low cost, and they require less energy to generate light ⁴.

Purpose of the Study

The aim of this clinical study was to evaluate the intra-coronal bleaching ability of a sodium perborate and distilled water mixture when activated by either a LED light or a diode laser.

Key Findings

Both the LED light source and the diode laser similarly and successfully bleached discoloured endodontically treated teeth with a mixture of sodium perborate and distilled water used as a bleaching agent.

References

1. Zimmerli B, Jeger F, Lussi A. Bleaching of nonvital teeth. A clinically relevant literature review. Schweiz Monatsschr Zahnmed 2010; 120: 306–20.
2. Attin T, Paqué F, Ajam F, Lennon ÁM. Review of the current status of tooth whitening with the walking bleach technique. Int Endod J 2003; 36: 313–29.
3. Lima DA, Aguiar FH, Liporoni PC, Munin E, Ambrosano GM, Lovadino JR. In vitro evaluation of the effectiveness of bleaching agents activated by different light sources. J Prosthodont 2009; 18: 249–54.
4. Kurachi C, Tuboy AM, Magalhães DV, Bagnato VS. Hardness evaluation of a dental composite polimerized with experimental LED-based devices. Dent Mater 2001; 17: 309–15.

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