Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Jet as an Accelerator of Tooth Bleaching.

OBJECTIVE To study the effect of atmospheric pressure plasma (APP) jet as a potential accelerator of the degradation of hydrogen peroxide in bleaching gels which could lead to better and faster bleaching. MATERIAL AND METHODS 25 pastilles of hydroxylapatite were colored in green tea for 8 hours and were randomly divided into five groups (n = 5). The bleaching process was performed with 30% and 40% hydrogen peroxide (HP) gel alone and in conjunction with helium APP jet. During the bleaching treatment, optical emission spectroscopy and non-contact surface temperature measurement using pyrometer were performed. Color of the pastilles was determined by a red-green-blue (RGB) colorimeter. PH values of bleaching gels were measured before and after the plasma treatment on additional 10 pastilles using a pH meter with contact pH electrode. RESULTS The color measurements of pastilles before and after the treatment showed that treatment with APP jet improved the bleaching effect by 32% and 15% in the case of 30% and 40% HP gel. Better results were obtained approximately six times faster than with a procedure suggested by the bleaching gel manufacturer. Optical emission spectroscopy proved that plasma has a chemically active role on the gel. After the APP treatment, pH values of bleaching gels dropped to about 50-75% of their initial value while the surface temperature increased by 8-10˚C above baseline. CONCLUSION The use of plasma jet provides more effective bleaching results in a shorter period of time without a significant temperature increase which may cause damage of the surrounding tissue.