Assessment of the aesthetic impact and quality of life of home dental bleaching in adult patients

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to evaluate the impact of home bleaching with 10% carbamide peroxide on the quality of life and aesthetic perception of patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 107 patients between 18 and 38 years of age with good oral and general health and at least one anterior tooth in color A2 or darker were selected. Patients who previously underwent any type of bleaching procedures were excluded. All patients received a home bleaching treatment with 10% carbamide peroxide. Before beginning the bleaching treatment, the selected patients responded a form with the Oral Health Impact Profile short form (OHIP-14) and Oral Aesthetic Subjective Impact Scale (OASIS) questionnaire. One month after the bleaching treatment, the patients answered the same questionnaires again. The mean ΔE after bleaching was obtained for the canines and lateral and central incisors. The OHIP-14 and OASIS data were measured for the total sample before and after bleaching using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test with a 5% significance level. RESULTS: The effectiveness of whitening by significant color variation was observed in all groups of teeth with less variation in ΔE for central incisors. Comparing before and after bleaching, there was no significant difference in impact for any of the seven domains and total OHIP-14 scores, although a decrease was observed in the discomfort and psychological disability domains. As for the self-perception of dental aesthetics, measured by the OASIS, there was also no significant difference for all the items evaluated; however, it was possible to observe an increase in “concern with dental appearance” after bleaching. CONCLUSIONS: Home bleaching with 10% carbamide peroxide did not have a significant impact on patients’ quality of life and aesthetic perception, although there was a decrease in the domain of psychological discomfort and an increase in concerns about dental appearance. Key words:Tooth Bleaching, quality of life, self-perception, dental aesthetics.