Vital bleaching and oral-health-related quality of life in adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Objectives: To carry out a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies that investigated changes in perceived quality of life following vital tooth bleaching. Methods: Online searches (Medline, PubMed, the Cochrane database of systemic reviews and Google scholar), bibliographic, and manual searches were carried out. Two authors independently screened the 313 articles identified from the searches and two authors extracted data, including risk of bias using the Cochrane data collection form. Random effects meta-analysis was used to estimate the pooled standardized mean difference (with 95% CI) and the 95% prediction interval. Results: Only four studies met the inclusion criteria, two showing statistically significant improvement, one worsening, and one inconclusive. The pooled standardized estimate for change in quality of life after bleaching was 0.04 (95% CI -0.15, 0.24) with substantial heterogeneity (I-squared 82.1%). Within these studies, there was a pattern of improvement in aesthetic-related domains (e.g. smiling and psychological discomfort) and deterioration in function-related domains (e.g. hygiene and pain). Conclusions: Vital bleaching was not associated with improvements in overall Oral Health Related Quality of Life (OHRQoL) in these heterogeneous populations. Vital bleaching appeared to impact some domains of OHRQoL positively and some negatively, indicating the need for clinicians to treat patients receiving bleaching treatment so as to obtain the best improvement in aesthetics with minimal side effects. Clinicians should be aware of the potential impact caused by tooth sensitivity and offer proper instruction to prevent it or treatment to reduce its impact. Clinical Significance: Bleaching treatment produces positive changes in young participants' OHRQoL in aesthetic areas such as smiling, laughing, and showing teeth without embarrassment. Tooth sensitivity, the main side-effect of vital bleaching treatment, can affect quality of life, and so oral health professionals should offer evidence-based advice to prevent and manage sensitivity.