Color Change of Esthetic Restorative Materials for Different Staining and Whitening Dentifrices

Background: As the importance of the esthetic function of teeth increases, the use of esthetic restoration materials and whitening treatment are increasing. The purpose of this study was to investigate the color change of esthetic restoration materials upon using staining and whitening toothpaste. Methods: Light curing (LC) packable composite resin, LC flowable resin, LC glass ionomer (GI), and self-curing GI specimens were colored in coffee or curry for three hours a day for seven days. After that, regular toothpaste, whitening toothpaste containing hydrogen peroxide, and whitening toothpaste containing activated charcoal were applied for three minutes three times a day for two weeks. Luminosity (L), chromaticity a (a), and chromaticity b (b) were measured using a spectrophotometer once a week. Results: In the coffee-colored group, the change in L^2*a^2*b² (E²) with time was significant (p=0.004), there was no difference for different toothpaste types (p=0.646), and there was significant difference (p<0.001) for different esthetic restorative materials. The change of E² in the curry-colored group was significant only for different esthetic restorative materials (p<0.001). In the coffee-colored group, the L, a, and b values of the light-curing GI showed greater change than other materials after staining and one week after whitening, turning dark, red, and yellow. In the curry-colored group, L did not differ for different materials and times, and a and b showed the greatest difference in light-curing GI after staining and one and two weeks after whitening. Conclusion: The use of whitening toothpaste for two weeks was not different from the use of general toothpaste in the removal of staining or whitening. Since light-curing GI is the most vulnerable to coloration, it is recommended that coloring by food chromogen should be explained in advance, before using light-curing GI for teeth restoration.