Purpose: This clinical evaluation compared a neutral sodium fluoridated whitening product to a neutral non-fluoridated whitening product in terms their effects on human enamel surface microhardness (SMH) and human enamel/resin composite shear bond strength (SBS) following various treatment times.
Materials and methods: Subjects were evaluated for enamel SMH and enamel/resin SBS following 15% carbamide peroxide (CP) with and without potassium nitrate and fluoride (PF). Twenty subjects (80 first or second premolars), who were treatment-planned for premolar extraction due to orthodontic therapy, were allocated into two groups, A and B. Group A received 15% CP, while Group B received 15% CP with PF. Each patient had a control tooth, a 14-day treatment + 14-day recovery tooth, a 14-day treatment + no recovery tooth and a 4-day + no recovery tooth. Each tooth was further divided into two testing surfaces; the facial surface was used for SMH, while the lingual surface was used for SBS.
Results: The results of this study determined that there was no statistically significant difference between the effects of the two products on SMH and enamel/resin SBS. Additionally, there was no statistically significant difference between the treatment specimens compared to the controls in terms of SMH. However, there was a significant difference between the treatment groups compared to the controls in terms of enamel/resin SBS.
Conclusion: Within the limitations of this clinical study, 15% CP with and without PF does not seem to alter the SMH of human enamel. However, 15% CP with and without PF significantly reduced enamel/resin SBS immediately following tooth whitening therapy, up to 14 days post-treatment.