Photobiomodulation in the Prevention of Tooth Sensitivity Caused by In-Office Dental Bleaching. A Randomized Placebo Preliminary Study.

OBJECTIVE: Analyze the effect of photobiomodulation in the prevention of tooth sensitivity after in-office dental bleaching. BACKGROUND DATA: Tooth sensitivity is a common clinical consequence of dental bleaching. Therapies for prevention of sensitivity have been investigated in literature. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was developed as a randomized, placebo blind clinical trial. Fifty patients were selected (n = 10) and randomly divided into five groups: (1) control, (2) placebo, (3) laser before bleaching, (4) laser after bleaching, and (5) laser before and after bleaching. Irradiation was performed perpendicularly, in contact, on each tooth during 10 sec per point in two points. The first point was positioned in the middle of the tooth crown and the second in the periapical region. Photobiomodulation was applied using the following parameters: 780 nm, 40 mW, 10 J/cm(2), 0.4 J per point. Pain was analyzed before, immediately after, and seven subsequent days after bleaching. Patients were instructed to report pain using the scale: 0 = no tooth sensitivity, 1 = gentle sensitivity, 2 = moderate sensitivity, 3 = severe sensitivity. RESULTS: There were no statistical differences between groups at any time (p > 0.05). More studies, with others parameters and different methods of tooth sensitivity analysis, should be performed to complement the results found. CONCLUSIONS: Within the limitation of the present study, the laser parameters of photobiomodulation tested in the present study were not efficient in preventing tooth sensitivity after in-office bleaching.