Spectrophotometric analysis of internal bleaching of traumatized teeth with coronal discoloration following regenerative endodontic procedures

Abstract

Aim: The objective of this study was to describe a case series concerning internal bleaching of anterior traumatized teeth that underwent regenerative endodontic procedures (REP). Methods: Seven non-vital maxillary anterior teeth discolored after regenerative endodontic procedures were included and divided into two groups according to the medication protocol used in the REP: (1) Triple antibiotic paste (TAP) group (n=4); (2) Calcium hydroxide and 2% chlorhexidine gel (HC+CHX) (n=3). The bleaching technique used was walking bleach, where sodium perborate associated with distilled water was used. Bleaching agent was replaced weekly until the darkened tooth was slightly lighter than the adjacent tooth. The color was recorded with the aid of a digital spectrophotometer in two moments (T1: prior the first session of bleaching, T2: fourteen days after the last session of bleaching). The change in color after the procedure (ΔE) was calculated and reported in a descriptive analysis. Results: The ΔE for all teeth showed color differences exceeding the perceptibility threshold (ΔE > 3.7). Both groups showed similar ΔE (TAP: 18.3 ± 11.5; HC+CHX: 14 ± 11.2) at the end of the treatment. The average number of sessions needed to achieve satisfactory results was 1.7 ± 0.6 for HC+CHX group and 2.3 ± 0.5 for TAP group. Conclusion: Internal bleaching with sodium perborate associated with distilled water is effective in treating discolored teeth after regenerative endodontic procedures.