Does comsumption of staining drinks compromise the result of tooth whitening?

BACKGROUND: After dental bleaching procedures dentists commonly advise patients to reduce the consumption of beverages that may cause the teeth to stain, however, the effectiveness of teeth whitening may not be directly affected by diet. MATERIAL AND METHODS: It was evaluated through in vitro study whether contact with dyes through in-office bleaching sessions with 35% hydrogen peroxide would influence the effectiveness of treatment. Sixty bovine incisors were randomly assigned into 5 groups (n = 12) according to contact frequency and type of dye solutions. All dental elements received three in-office bleaching sessions with 35% hydrogen peroxide one week apart. Except for GCTRL (control), all experimental groups were submerged in dyes (coffee or wine) for 5 min once a day. In groups GC24 and GW24 contact with the dyes was made from 24 hours after each bleaching session, while in groups GC72 and GW72, from 72 hours. The color was measured with a digital spectrophotometer. Data were expressed as statistics: mean and standard deviation. RESULTS: Contact with dyes during in-office bleaching treatment with 35% hydrogen peroxide did not influence the staining averages after three bleaching sessions. The speed of the whitening effect was influenced by contact with coffee from 24 hours after the sessions and with wine from 24 hours and 72 hours after the whitening session. The whitening result was reversed after one week for all groups, especially for groups that came in contact with red wine either 24 hours or 72 hours after session and coffee after 24 hours. CONCLUSIONS: Contact with dyes during in-office bleaching treatment did not influence the final staining averages after three bleaching sessions although there was influence on speed of the whitening effect between the sessions. Key words:Tooth bleaching, hydrogen peroxide, spectrophotometry.