Effect of bleaching time and temperature on the radicular penetration of hydrogen peroxide

Extracted human premolars were treated endodontically and bleached intracoronally. The teeth were bleached with 30% hydrogen peroxide for periods of 5, 20, 40 and 60 min at temperatures of 24 degrees C, 37 degrees C and 47 degrees C. A correlation for both bleaching time and temperature and the radicular penetration of hydrogen peroxide was found. No penetration was found after 5 min bleaching at any of the temperatures tested. Prolonging the bleaching time after 5 min increased the hydrogen peroxide penetration at each of the temperatures tested. A rise in the bleaching temperature also increased the hydrogen peroxide penetration although not significantly for all tested periods. It is therefore suggested to minimize the bleaching time and temperature when hydrogen peroxide is used as the oxidizing agent. Bleaching should be limited to separate 5-min periods rather than being performed over a long continuous period.