Abstract
Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential of casein phosphopeptide-amorphous calcium phosphate (CPP-ACP) in remineralizing the bleached enamel surface using micro-hardness. Materials and Methods: Thirty human enamel slabs were randomly divided into three groups (n = 10). Groups A and B were exposed to 20% carbamide peroxide and 35% carbamide peroxide gel, respectively. After the exposure to the bleaching agent, the slabs were kept in artificial saliva for 1-week. Group C (control group) were kept in artificial saliva for 1-week. Vickers micro-hardness test was performed by Leica VMHT-Mot micro-hardness tester. CPP-ACP (Gc Tooth Mousse, Melbourne, Australia) was then applied to specimens of Groups A and B for 3 min for 2 weeks. Micro-hardness values of postbleach Group A (Ar) and Group B (Br) were recorded and statistically analyzed by paired t-test and one-way analysis of variance at the significance level of alpha =0.05. Results: There was a significant decrease in micro-hardness of enamel in carbamide peroxide bleached groups. However, there was a significant increase in micro-hardness after the remineralization by CPP-ACP and the extent of remineralization is more for the Group B. Conclusions: That bleaching agents reduced enamel micro-hardness and the use of CPP-ACP after bleaching can significantly enhance the micro-hardness of bleached enamel.