Comparison of Tooth Whitening Efficacy between Gel and Strip with Light Activator

The study aimed to compare the whitening efficacy of a strip and gel containing 2.9% hydrogen peroxide, using a tooth whitening light activator. The whitening effect was compared through in vitro and in vivo studies. In the in vitro study, we used stained hydroxyapatite (HAP) specimens as artificial teeth. HAP specimens were made using HAP powder and polyvinyl alcohol solution, and stained by modified Stookey’s method. A whitening gel and whitening strip were applied to the respective specimens for 20 minutes, with a light activator. The color changes were measured using a colorimeter. In the in vivo study, one group (test 1) used the gel with a light activator and the other group (test 2) used a strip with the same activator for 15 minutes a day, for four consecutive days. An organoleptic evaluation using a Vita shade guide and instrumental evaluation using a Shade eye-NCC (Shofu Co., Japan) were performed. The color change values (∆E*) in the in vitro study revealed the strip with the light activator to be more effective than the gel with the same activator (p<0.001). In the in vivo study, even though there was no significant difference between the groups with respect to the ∆E*, using either the Shade eye-NCC or the Vita shade guide, the change in yellowness (∆b*) was statistically significant (p=0.024). In conclusion, test 2 group that used 2.9% hydrogen peroxide strip with a light activator, showed a tendency towards increased whitening than test 1 group that used the gel with the same activator; however further studies are needed to validate the above finding.