Evaluation of vital teeth whitening approaches and materials used by dentists

Aim: To interpret the data obtained by determining the perspectives, application methods and materials used by dentists working in all sectors in Turkey, whether they are specialists or practitioners with different years of experience, on the basis of cause-effect relationships. Material and Method: The research group consists of dentists practicing their profession in all sectors in Turkey. After explaining the purpose of the study and obtaining the approval of the dentists, the questionnaires were applied online by being organized via Google Questionnaire. Data were analyzed with IBM SPSS V23. Chi-square test was used to compare the answers to the questions according to the interaction groups of specialization, place of work and working time, and multiple comparisons of the ratios were examined with the Bonferroni corrected Z test. Analysis results were presented as frequency (percentage). Results: A total of 518 dentists, 68.7% female, 31.3% male, 52.7% general practitioner and 47.3% specialist, participated in the survey. While 58.5% of the dentists stated that they applied vital whitening treatment, hydrogen peroxide was determined as the most preferred material with a rate of 92.7%. While office bleaching was the most preferred vital bleaching method in all groups with a rate of 84.5%, the combined method was determined with a rate of 36.3% and the home type bleaching method with a rate of 20.5%. While OTC products were not significantly recommended in all groups, 42.4% whitening toothpastes were recommended as material by the recommending dentists. Conclusion: While it was determined that the majority of dentists in Turkey applied vital whitening treatments and preferred the office type most frequently, it was determined that other vital whitening methods were less preferred by physicians working in the private sector. It was determined that the use of a light device and the process of photographing the treatment by dentists performing vital whitening were common. In parallel with the increase in their professional experience, it was observed that the effectiveness of dentists in vital whitening treatments was high. Keywords: Dentistry, Survey, Vital teeth whitening