Effect of Commercial Toothpastes on Color Variation of Stained Ceramic Brackets: In Vitro Study.

A common problem is the difficulty that aesthetic brackets have in maintaining color stability, due to pigments contained in foods and drinks. The present study evaluated in vitro the effect of three commercial toothpastes on color variation in stained monocrystalline ceramic brackets. Forty-eight stained ceramic brackets with red wine were used, randomly assigned to 4 groups: Colgate Luminous White Brilliant®, Vitis Orthodontic®, Colgate Total 12 Clean Mint® and control group. The color variation (∆E) was measured with a spectrophotometer using CIE L*a*b* system at three times: T0 (initial), T7 (after 7 days) and T30 (after 30 days). Data analysis was performed using Kruskal Wallis test and Bonferroni post hoc test, with a significance level of 5%. Regarding to coordinate L*, significant differences were observed between groups, at 7 and 30 days. In coordinate a*, significant differences were observed at 0, 7 and 30 days; while that coordinate b*, no differences were observed between groups at any observation time. The ΔE value was similar between three toothpastes in evaluation period and showed significant differences compared to control group at 30 days. After 30 days of brushing, a toothpaste indicated for whitening, a toothpaste indicated for orthodontics, and a toothpaste for regular use produced similar improvement in color of stained monocrystalline ceramic brackets. All toothpastes improved luminosity of stained brackets, while toothpaste regular had the lowest luminosity value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]