Conclusions
The in-office dental bleaching influenced the SpO2p reading, regardless of the dental group evaluated or the bleaching agent used. Clinical Relevance. This study provides information about the influence of in-office tooth whitening on the pulp SpO2p levels. The observation of pulp vitality during and after the use of bleaching agents is important for the follow-up of patients undergoing tooth whitening. The use of a pulse oximeter may be a viable and painless alternative to perform this monitoring. The clinical trial was registered with the Brazilian Registry of Clinical Trials (ReBEC; registration number: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/RBR-68xbth).
Results
Neither of the two bleaching agents showed significant differences between the readings when evaluated individually (WGO, P=0.780, and WHP, P=0.494). When taken together, the results showed significant difference between the readings performed, with higher median values after bleaching sessions: before (97.3) and after (98.6) 1st session; before (98.3) and after (98.3) 2nd session; before (98.3) and after (99.0) 3rd session; and after 1 week (98.3). The dental groups formed by maxillary lateral incisors (P=0.012) and mandibular incisors (P < 0.001) showed a significant difference. Spearman's Rho test showed a nonsignificant and weak correlation between ΔE and SpO2p in most comparisons. Conclusions: The in-office dental bleaching influenced the SpO2p reading, regardless of the dental group evaluated or the bleaching agent used. Clinical Relevance. This study provides information about the influence of in-office tooth whitening on the pulp SpO2p levels. The observation of pulp vitality during and after the use of bleaching agents is important for the follow-up of patients undergoing tooth whitening. The use of a pulse oximeter may be a viable and painless alternative to perform this monitoring. The clinical trial was registered with the Brazilian Registry of Clinical Trials (ReBEC; registration number: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/RBR-68xbth).