Effectiveness of home bleaching agents in discolored teeth and influence on enamel microhardness

OBJECTIVES: This study evaluated the effectiveness of different home bleaching agents on color alteration and their influence on surface and subsurface microhardness of discolored bovine enamel. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Forty-five fragments of bovine incisors were randomly allocated into 3 groups (n=15) according to the bleaching agent: 10% carbamide peroxide gel (CP10), 16% carbamide peroxide gel (CP16) and 6.5%-hydrogen-peroxide-based strip (HP6.5). Before bleaching treatment, initial values of Knoop surface microhardness and color (CIEL*a*b*) were obtained and the fragments were artificially s...