0289 Clinical Study of Barrier Usage in Peroxide-Based Tooth Whitening

R.W. GERLACH, M.L. BARKER, P.A. SAGEL, H.L. TUCKER, and S. FARRELL, Procter & Gamble Co, Mason, OH, USA

Objective: While the new paint-on liquids or gels may start at relatively high peroxide concentrations, the absence of a barrier may limit peroxide residency (contact time) for vital bleaching. A clinical study was conducted to specifically evaluate the contribution of a barrier to tooth whitening.

Methods: 33 adults were randomly assigned to the paint-on gel group (no barrier) or paint-on gel+barrier (barrier) group. All subjects used Colgate® Simply White™ (18% carbamide peroxide) twice a day over a 7 day period. The “no barrier” group followed the manufacturer's instructions for the paint-on gel, while the “barrier” group placed a blank polyethylene whitening strip containing no gel or peroxide over the paint-on gel after its application. Efficacy was measured objectively as L*a*b* color change using digital images at Days 2, 5 & 8.

Results: For the no barrier group, adjusted mean ± SE ∆b* (yellowness) was 0.01 ± 0.42 at Day 2, – 0.20 ± 0.16 at Day 5, and –0.15 ± 0.19 at Day 8. Color change was greater in the barrier group. Adjusted mean ± SE ∆b* was –0.25 ±0.11 at Day 2, –0.79 ± 0.15 at Day 5, and –1.08 ± 0.19 at Day 8. Only the barrier group differed significantly (p < 0.05) from baseline beginning at Day 2 and again thereafter. Although both groups used the same 18% carbamide peroxide paint-on gel, between-group comparisons demonstrated significant color improvement (∆b*) with the barrier strip at Day 5 (p = 0.015) and Day 8 (p = 0.002). Both treatments were well tolerated.

Conclusion: In clinical research, application of a strip barrier over an 18% carbamide peroxide gel resulted in a significant improvement in tooth whitening compared to use of that paint-on gel without any barrier isolation. Seq #61 - Tooth Whitening 10:45 AM-12:45 PM, Thursday, 10 March 2005 Baltimore Convention Center 327