Does light activation enhance teeth whitening? And, Canary about to sing

Dear DrBicuspid Member,

Many teeth-whitening studies, by their very design, tend to foster debate. How much whitening is too much? Which is better, hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide? Does overbleaching damage enamel? Is in-office superior to home bleaching, day superior to night?

A study to be presented at the upcoming International Association for Dental Research (IADR) meeting in Barcelona, Spain, is likely to further stir the pot. Researchers from Portugal found that 35% hydrogen peroxide alone is effective in whitening teeth and that light activation does not enhance the effect. Although the study is small, it does raise an important question: Is light activation beneficial? Read more.

In other clinical news, a British study found that only 24% of visually impaired people being treated at an eye hospital were registered with a dentist, and more than half felt that there was not enough dental care information available for the visually impaired. Can dental practitioners do more to reach out to these individuals? Read more.

Over in the Imaging & CAD/CAM Community, a Canadian company is gearing up to launch a novel caries detection device later this year and will present some of its first clinical results at the IADR meeting. What makes this product different from those already on the market? Click here to find out.

And in the latest Coaches Corner column, Dr. Alan Goldstein uses a baseball metaphor to illustrate the importance of "pregame warm-ups" -- aka, the morning meeting.