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.