Research Information System
Cumhuriyet Dental Journal, vol.29, no.1, pp.99-103, 2026 (Scopus, TRDizin)
Objectives: To evaluate and compare the short-term whitening efficacy of three over-the-counter (OTC) whitening pens and one at-home bleaching product using spectrophotometric color analysis on extracted human teeth. Materials and Methods: Sixty maxillary central incisors were randomly assigned to five groups (n = 12): Three OTC whitening pens (iSmile, SDI Pola Luminate, CleverCool), one home bleaching gel (SDI Polanight), and a control group. Whitening agents were applied for 7 days following manufacturer instructions. Color measurements were performed at baseline (T0), after 7 days (T7), and at day 14 (T14) using a spectrophotometer. Color change (ΔE) was calculated using the CIELab formula. Data were analyzed using oneway ANOVA and Tukey HSD tests (p < 0.05). Results: All whitening groups showed significantly greater ΔE values compared to the control (p < 0.001). The iSmile pen produced the highest color change at both T7 and T14. SDI Polanight showed comparable but slightly lower efficacy. Pola Luminate and CleverCool achieved moderate whitening effects without significant difference between them. Conclusions: OTC whitening pens can produce visible color improvement in the short term. However, their efficacy varies by product formulation. Higher peroxide concentration was associated with greater whitening effect.