DOI: 10.69601/meandrosmdj.1862807 ISSN: 2149-9063

Effect of Whitening Mouthwashes with Different Active Agents on the Color Stability of Clear Aligners: an In Vitro Study

Yağmur Lena Sezici, Aslı Aşık, Genta Agani Sabah
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Objective: This study aimed to compare the effects of whitening mouthwashes containing different active agents on the color stability of coffee-stained clear aligners. Materials and Methods: Sixty-five clear aligner specimens (Invisalign, Align Technology, San Jose, CA, USA) were randomly allocated into five groups according to mouthwash: SPLAT® Professional Bioactive White Plus, Listerine Advanced White, Colgate Optic White, Marvis Whitening Mint, and Biomed Superwhite. Baseline color (t0) was measured using a spectrophotometer. Specimens were immersed in a coffee solution for 7 days to induce standardized discoloration (t1), followed by immersion in the mouthwash for 28 minutes to simulate two weeks of clinical use (t2). L*, a*, b* coordinates and color differences (ΔE00) were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA and one-way ANOVA, with post hoc comparisons performed using Tukey’s test (α=0.05). Results:Coffee immersion significantly decreased L* and increased b* across all groups (p<0.001). Following mouthwash immersion, a significant increase in L* and a reduction in b* values were observed in all groups (p<0.001). SPLAT demonstrated the highest final lightness and the lowest final yellowness values (p < 0.05). All ΔE00 values exceeded the clinical acceptability threshold of 1.8. Biomed Superwhite and SPLAT showed significantly lower residual color differences (ΔEt0–t2) compared with Colgate Optic White (p<0.005). No significant differences were found among the groups regarding the net whitening effect (ΔEt1–t2) (p>0.05). Conclusion: Whitening mouthwashes produced partial but clinically insufficient color improvement in coffee-stained aligners; none restored baseline optical properties. Oxidative or enzymatic formulations yielded better residual color recovery than stain-inhibiting systems.

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