The impact of dietary counseling on the efficacy of tooth bleaching: a randomized controlled trial

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this randomized controlled clinical trial was to evaluate if subjects submitted to a white diet counseling during at home dental bleaching with 16% of carbamide peroxide had better results than subjects who maintained their usual diets. METHODS: Forty participants were divided in two groups (n=20), where subjects allocated to white diet group were instructed to avoid food and beverage containing dyes during the bleaching treatment, and in the nonwhite diet group subjects continued their usual diets. The patient’s intake of colored foods and drinks was assessed by a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) applied before and after the bleaching procedures. The color evaluation was carried out using a digital spectrophotometer at baseline, during the treatment and at six months after the end of the bleaching protocol. Mann‐Whitney tests were used to compare medians of parameters between groups. RESULTS: The Mann‐Whitney tests for the evaluation with Vita Classic Scale showed that in all of the recall visits a significantly higher degree of bleaching was observed in the white diet group. Delta E values showed a higher degree of bleaching for the white diet group in all of the recall visits but the main factors were not significant. CONCLUSIONS: The prescription of white diet for patients undergoing dental bleaching had some impact in the color perception.