Colour Effects on Extracted Teeth After a Tooth Whitening Regime: Assessment in an Artificial Oral Cavity

Abstract - The purpose of this study was to assess the reliabilty of a digital image analysis system and to assess its suitability for quantifying the colour (including whiteness) of extracted teeth in a purpose built artificial oral cavity after a whitening regime. Extracted teeth were treated with a scale and polish and a bleaching solution. The Image analysis system showed excellent intra operator repeatability. Significant tooth colour and whiteness changes occurred after the bleaching treatment. The digital image system has been shown to be a reliable and valid method for assessing colour and whiteness changes on extracted teeth after whitening treatments.

KEY WORDS: Image analysis; Tooth colour; extracted teeth