Evaluation of surface roughness in bovine teeth after the application of two in-office bleaching protocols

Abstract

Dental bleaching is a common practice for removing dental stains; however, its effects on enamel surface roughness remain underexplored. This in vitro study aimed to evaluate changes in the surface roughness of bovine enamel following different dental bleaching protocols. Thirty bovine incisor teeth were divided into five experimental groups, receiving various combinations of bleaching and desensitizing treatments. Surface roughness was measured before and after treatment using the Ra index. Results showed a slight reduction in median roughness after treatment (P = 0.447), with no statistically significant difference. The test power was 0.050, indicating that the sample size was insufficient to detect small differences. Literature suggests that subtle changes in roughness may occur but are often clinically irrelevant.

Keywords: Dental bleaching; surface roughness; hydrogen peroxide.