Comparison of the Surface Properties and Color Stability of Various Aesthetic Restorative Materials Treated with In-Office Tooth Bleaching

Background: This study compared and analyzed the surface properties, including gloss, Vickers hardness, surface roughness, surface morphology, and color stability, of various aesthetic restorative materials subjected to in-office tooth bleaching treatments.Methods: The experimental groups consisted of various commercially available aesthetic restorative materials, including light-cured composite resin (CR), light-cured bulk-fill resin (BF), compomer (CP), resin-modified glass ionomer cement (RMGI), and glass ionomer cement (GI).Before and after the bleaching treatment using 30% hydrogen peroxide, the gloss was measured with a gloss meter, the Vickers hardness values were assessed with a Vickers hardness tester, and the surface roughness was analyzed using a surface profilometer.Surface morphology was observed using scanning electron microscopy.After the bleaching treatment, color stability was evaluated by immersing the specimens in coffee, Pepsi Cola, black tea, and distilled water solutions.The color changes (E*) were analyzed at 1, 3, and 7 days.Results: Compared with the pre-treatment values, gloss significantly decreased in the BF and RMGI groups (p0.05),Vickers hardness significantly decreased in the RMGI and GI groups (p0.05), and surface roughness significantly increased in the CR and RMGI groups (p0.05).The surface morphological changes were minimal in all the experimental groups, except for RMGI and GI.In terms of color stability, the CP group exhibited the highest color stability in distilled water, while the GI group showed the lowest (p0.05).The BF group demonstrated the highest color stability in the coffee, Pepsi-Cola, and black tea solutions, whereas the RMGI group showed the lowest color stability (p0.05).Conclusion: The findings of this study will provide foundational data for selecting aesthetic restorative materials that have minimal impact on surface properties, while offering optimal aesthetic outcomes and patient satisfaction tailored to the specific oral conditions of the patient.