A trilogy of tragedies - paediatric dental tooth whitening

Abstract

Dental tooth whitening is used throughout the United Kingdom for patients who have aesthetic concerns regarding the colour of their teeth. Up until recent months it was also frequently used for paediatric patients with enamel opacities of cosmetic concern and discoloured non-vital anterior teeth. This safe and effective treatment option is now not available to paediatric dental patients due to changes in indemnity cover, and we demonstrate three cases from our department where dental whitening was the most appropriate treatment option. By removing this treatment option for selected paediatric patients, we are concerned that more destructive and less effective treatments may be performed with short- and long-term detriment to their oral health. Furthermore, failure to provide any treatment may negatively affect children's quality of life and psychological well-being.