The Efficacy, Safety, Stability, and Mechanism of Tooth Whitening by a Cold Atmospheric Pressure Air Plasma Microjet Assisted With or Without Hydrogen Peroxide

The aim of this paper was to assess the effectiveness, safety, stability, and mechanism of tooth whitening using a direct current cold atmospheric pressure air plasma microjet (PMJ) with the assistance of whitening gels (blank or containing 3% H₂O₂). The results were compared with those obtained from teeth treated with blank gel only and with gel containing 35% H₂O₂ in a cold light bleaching system. Tooth whitening effectiveness right after various treatments as well as 18 months after treatment was evaluated via CIELAB colorimetry. Type K thermocouple, scanning electron microscope and energy dispersive spectroscopy were employed to study the temperature of pulp chamber, tooth surface morphology, and elemental composition of enamel surface, respectively. Teeth in the plasma groups were effectively whitened in 5 min, though no significant difference was observed between the two plasma groups. Pulp chamber temperature was shown to remain below 35 °C. Morphological and surface elemental analysis showed similar changes to tooth enamel in the plasma groups and in the cold light group. These observations suggested that PMJ with blank gel was more effective for tooth whitening with acceptable safety and good stability. Optical emission spectroscopy results revealed that reactive oxygen species, such as O, •OH, and NO, in plasma may play a dominant role in the process of plasma tooth whitening.