The effect of CPP-ACP on sensitivity associated with tooth whitening

Objectives: Tooth whitening is one of the fastest growing trends within the dental profession. The most common reported adverse effect of tooth whitening has been tooth sensitivity during the bleaching process. The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of using daily CPP-ACP during bleaching on tooth sensitivity.

Methods: Fifty subjects (ages: 22-56) were recruited for the study. Subjects were instructed to use Crest Professional Whitening Strips (9% hydrogen peroxide) twice daily for three weeks according to manufacturer's recommendations. All participants randomly received an unmarked syringe of paste containing either a placebo or MI Paste containing CPP-ACP to use for three minutes, once a day, in the evening during the study period in addition to their normal oral hygiene regimen. At initiation of the study and at the end of weeks one, two and three of tooth whitening, subjects completed a descriptive numerical scale (0=none to 3=severe) and a 100 mm visual analogue scale (0=none to 100=severe) assessing tooth sensitivity. Data was analyzed using a Repeated Measures ANOVA.

Results: Twenty-three subjects completed the study (14-placebo; 9 CPP-ACP. Fifty-four percent of the subjects did not complete the study due to non-compliance with study protocol. Fifty-two percent of the subjects who completed the study started and ended with no sensitivity during the bleaching process. Forty-eight percent of the subjects experienced increased sensitivity. After three weeks of using the whitening strips, the mean sensitivity scores for the CPP-ACP and placebo groups using the descriptive scale were 1.11 and 0.57 respectively (p=0.0883). The scores for the two groups using the VAS scale were 13.11 and 10.07 respectively (p=0.4474). Statistical significance for sensitivity was not found between the CPP-ACP and the placebo groups.

Conclusion: These results indicate that daily use of a CPP-ACP paste in conjunction with tooth whitening has minimal affect on tooth sensitivity compared to a placebo paste.

This study was sponsored by the Ohio State University Student Research Program.