Dental bleaching: patient perception and satisfaction.

BACKGROUND: Teeth bleaching is a common practice performed by dental hygienists and dentists to correct aesthetic problems due to dental discoloration. Patients' opinions on this procedure may be different according to their personal experiences, expectations and individual sensitivities. The aim of this study is to assess the degree of satisfaction and related sensitivity of patients to professional and home bleaching treatment. METHODS: A questionnaire consisting of 12 multiple-choice questions was submitted to 625 subjects among general population. These were related to: 1) patient's age and whether the patient is a smoker; 2) personal satisfaction; and 3) post-treatment tooth sensitivity. Descriptive analyses of all variables in the questionnaire were performed, and statistical analyses between variables were carried out by Chi-square test and Fisher's Exact test. RESULTS: Of the people surveyed, 66% performed home bleaching, while the remaining performed the treatment in a dental office. Thirty-three percent of patients had previously undergone teeth bleaching and the 95.7% stated that they were satisfied with the treatment. Of these, only 36.4% reported experiencing postoperative hypersensitivity. Most patients (91.3%) received professional scaling before undergoing bleaching treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Patient satisfaction with tooth whitening treatment can vary from patient to patient and represents a strong indicator of treatment efficacy and suitability. A proper communication, careful management and individualized patient assessment are key to maximizing satisfaction and ensuring a positive and fulfilling patient experience.

Avaliação do impacto do clareamento dental na qualidade de vida de pacientes adultos / Evaluation of the impact of dental bleaching on the quality of life of adult patients / Evaluación del impacto del blanqueamiento dental en la calidad de vida de pacientes adultos

Objetivo: este trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar o impacto do clareamento dental profissional na qualidade de vida de pacientes. Método: foram selecionados 40 pacientes em tratamento de clareamento dental de consultório com peróxido de hidrogênio a 35%, e que atenderam a critérios específicos de inclusão e exclusão. Para determinar o impacto do clareamento dental na qualidade de vida dos pacientes, foi aplicado o questionário OHIP-14, contendo 14 perguntas divididas em 7 domínios avaliando os aspectos: limitação funcional, dor física, desconforto psicológico, incapacidade física, incapacidade psicológica, incapacidade social e desvantagem social, antes do inicio e 30 dias após finalizado o clareamento dental. Resultados: os escore total do Ohip-14 e dos domínios foram comparados nos dois momentos (antes e após o clareamento), por meio do teste de Wilcoxon, que não mostrou diferencia significante (p<0.05%), para todos os domínios, com exceção do domínio desconforto psicológico no qual foi observado uma diminuição de impacto após o procedimento clareador. Conclusão: o OHIP 14 mostrou que o procedimento clareador favorece a estética dos indivíduos, melhorando sua qualidade de vida e, diminuindo assim, o estresse frente aos impactos psicológicos em sociedade.(AU)

Objective: this study aimed to evaluate the impact of professional tooth bleaching on patients' quality of life. Methods: a total of 40 patients were selected in the treatment of office tooth bleaching with 35% hydrogen peroxide, which met specific inclusion and exclusion criteria. To determine the impact of dental bleaching on patients' quality of life, the OHIP-14 questionnaire was used, containing 14 questions divided into 7 domains assessing aspects: functional limitation, physical pain, psychological discomfort, physical incapacity, psychological incapacity, social incapacity and social disadvantage, before the beginning and 30 days after dental bleaching was completed. Results: the total Ohip-14 score and domains were compared at both time points (before and after bleaching) using the Wilcoxon test, which showed no significant difference (p <0.05%) for all domains, except for the psychological discomfort domain in which a reduction in impact was observed after the bleaching procedure. Conclusion: OHIP-14 showed that the bleaching procedure favors the aesthetics of individuals, improving their quality of life, thus reducing the stress on the psychological impacts on society.(AU)

Objetivo: este trabajo tuvo como objetivo evaluar el impacto del blanqueamiento dental profesional en la calidad de vida de pacientes. Métodos: se seleccionaron 40 pacientes en tratamiento de blanqueamiento dental de consultorio con peróxido de hidrógeno al 35%, y que atendieron a criterios específicos de inclusión y exclusión. Para determinar el impacto del blanqueamiento dental en la calidad de vida de los pacientes, se aplicó el cuestionario OHIP-14, conteniendo 14 preguntas divididas en 7 áreas evaluando los aspectos: limitación funcional, dolor físico, incomodidad psicológica, incapacidad física, incapacidad psicológica, incapacidad social y desventaja social, antes del inicio y 30 días después de finalizado el blanqueamiento dental. Resultados: los puntajes totales del Ohip-14 y de los dominios fueron comparados en los dos momentos (antes y después del blanqueamiento), por medio de la prueba de Wilcoxon, que no mostró diferencia significante (p <0.05%), para todos los dominios, excepción del dominio de incomodidad psicológica donde se observó una disminución de impacto después del procedimiento blanqueador. Conclusión: el OHIP-14 mostró que el procedimiento blanqueador, favorece la estética de los individuos mejorando, su calidad de vida disminuyendo así el estrés frente a los impactos psicológicos en sociedad.(AU)