Search

The objective of the present study was to carry out a literature review on “self-care” or, in English, “Over-the-counter” (OTC) bleaching products, consulting articles in the Pubmed and Scielo databases, between the years 2000 and 2019, in order to evaluate its characteristics, advantages and disadvantages of use. We can conclude that the majority of whitening dentifrices and rinses on the market do not have a clinically significant whitening action; in relation to dental strips or strips, they have satisfactory whitening efficacy. However, it is important to emphasize the need for further long-term studies to affirm whether these products are really safe and efficient, since their advantages and disadvantages become doubtful and questionable. Therefore, guidance and monitoring by the dental surgeon in the handling and prescription of such products is extremely important, after all, if used in an indiscriminate and erroneous way, they can cause potentially harmful data to the patient.

Objectives: The scope is tooth whitening at home, the study focuses on the effectiveness of whitening and treatment effects.Material and Method: A search was carried out in the Medline, PubMed, Lilacs and Scielo databases, between the years 2000 to 2019. The keywords used in the databases were as follows: Tooth whitening, hydrogen peroxide, carbamide peroxide, whitening products , tooth, at home, whitening, effects, efficacy, whitening.Results: Of the 23 studies included in this review, 6 studies evaluated the effectiveness of tooth whitening, 4 studies evaluated the effect of whitening on tooth structure, 1 study evaluated the association of whitening treatment with dentifrice, 3 studies evaluated on cytotoxicity / toxicity, 3 studies evaluated the effect of whitening on dental materials, 2 studies assessed the social impact of tooth whitening, 3 studies assessed sensitivity during treatment and 1 study assessed the effect of bleaching gel storage.Conclusion: In order to try to minimize adverse effects that may arise such as sensitivity, cytotoxicity and gingival irritation, use with the minimum exposure time of the product is indicated; the home whitening technique shows less chance of recurrence after treatment.