The effect of topical application of ibuprofen/arginine on tooth sensitivity caused by in-office bleaching

In a recent study, it was found that the utilization of the experimental desensitizing gel, which includes ibuprofen/arginine, successfully decreased the likelihood and severity of tooth sensitivity (TS) while maintaining the efficacy of bleaching. This study’s findings were published in the Journal of Dentistry.

A total of 62 participants with top canine shades A2 or darker were randomized to either the placebo cohort or ibuprofen-arginine desensitizing cohort. The desensitizing gel was applied for 15 minutes prior to in-office bleaching using 35% hydrogen peroxide gel for a total of 50 minutes (2 sessions). The absolute risk and intensity of TS were evaluated using visual (0-10) and numeric rating (0-5) scales, and group comparisons were conducted using the Wilcoxon test, McNemar test, and paired Student t-test (α = 0.05). Teeth colour change was evaluated using Vita Bleachedguide (ΔSGU), Vita Classical, and Vita EasyShade (ΔE_ab, ΔE₀₀, and ΔW_ID) before and 1 month after the bleaching procedure, with group comparisons for colour change analyzed using a paired t-test (α = 0.05).

A lower odds ratio for TS of 0.14 [95 % confidence interval 0.02 to 0.6] was observed with the desensitizing gel. The experimental cohort also exhibited decreased intensity of teeth sensitivity up to 48 hours after bleaching process (p < 0.005). Additionally, all colour evaluation tools showed effective and similar whitening for both cohorts (p > 0.05).

Thus, it can be concluded that the desensitizing gel containing ibuprofen and arginine reduced the occurrence and intensity of TS while also preserving the whitening results.