Whitening Efficacy of 3% Carbamide Peroxide Gel Activated by Lactoperoxidase

Abstract

Objective. The aim of this clinical study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a whitening toothpaste containing 3% carbamide peroxide and lactoperoxidase. Materials and methods. Participants were instructed to brush their teeth using an enzymatic-activated dentifrice following a particular procedure for three weeks. Color was recorded before and after treatment using a VITA Easyshade spectrophotometer. Differences in L ${}^{\ast }$ (tooth color lightness), a ${}^{\ast }$ (displacement along the red-green axis), and b ${}^{\ast }$ (displacement along the yellow-blue axis) were measured before and after treatment using the paired t and the Wilcoxon signed-rank tests. Color changes (ΔE) were calculated using the obtained measurements. Results. Thirty-four volunteers were included. ΔE was 4.03. For the set of 348 teeth, a greater tendency towards green (lower a ${}^{\ast }$ ) and blue (lower b ${}^{\ast }$ ) was observed ( $p$  < 0.05). There were no significant differences in lightness after treatment. Mandibular central incisors showed a greater tendency towards green (lower a ${}^{\ast }$ ) and blue (lower b ${}^{\ast }$ ). Bleaching effectiveness was observed in both the upper and lower central incisors and in the lateral mandibular incisors. Conclusion. Based on these results, it may be concluded that brushing with an enzymatic-activated dentifrice is effective for whitening teeth.