Vital laser-activated teeth bleaching and postoperative sensitivity: A systematic review.

OBJECTIVE

This systematic review investigated the effect of vital laser-activated tooth bleaching regarding efficiency and postoperative sensitivity. The search for articles was conducted on Medline (PubMed) database. The following keywords were used: "Lasers" [Mesh] and "Tooth bleaching" [Mesh]. Using the Boolean operator "AND," the following Boolean equation was formulated: ("Lasers" [MeSH] AND "Tooth bleaching" [MeSH]).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Inclusion criteria were as follow: clinical trials in English or French available in full text. Article search was limited to the ones published between 2007 and 2019.

RESULTS

A total of 12 articles fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The quality assessment of trials included was undertaken independently as part of data extraction process. A JADAD score was attributed to each paper.

CONCLUSION

A marked color change was noted for patients undergoing light-activated bleaching independently of the bleaching agent. Regarding sensitivity, the results of the various studies proved controversial.

CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE

Laser activation of the bleaching agent promotes the efficiency of the treatment but does not reduce postoperative sensitivity.