Review of the effects of peroxide on enamel and dentine properties

Objectives To review the available literature investigating the effects of peroxide-based products and solutions on enamel and dentine properties. Sources All original scientific full papers listed in ISI Web of Science and Medline were included in this review using the search terms peroxide AND (enamel OR dentin*) up to the end of 2006. Conclusions The majority of studies indicate that peroxide containing products and solutions have no significant deleterious effects on enamel and dentine surface morphology and chemistry, surface microhardness, subsurface enamel and dentine microhardness or ultrastructure. In addition, in vitro studies indicate that they have no significant clinically relevant effects on subsequent enamel and dentine loss caused by acidic erosive challenges, toothpaste abrasion or caries lesion formation. The contrasting studies that do show an effect on some of the above properties, in general, have some limitations in the in vitro methods used which do not accurately reflect the in vivo situation or use products/solutions that have a particularly low pH where acidic erosive processes are likely to dominate and explain the observed changes in enamel and dentine.