SynthesisJournal of esthetic and restorative dentistry : official publication of the American Academy of Esthetic Dentistry ... [et al.]2026
Do Laser and Light Activation Improve In-Office Dental Bleaching Outcomes? An Umbrella Review of Efficacy, Tooth Sensitivity, and Biological Safety.
Synthesis in Journal of esthetic and restorative dentistry : official publication of the American Academy of Esthetic Dentistry ... [et al.], 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveTo synthesize umbrella-level evidence on laser or light activation and photobiomodulation in in-office dental bleaching, including whitening efficacy, tooth sensitivity, and biological safety. Systematic reviews were searched in PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library using terms related to dental bleaching, hydrogen peroxide, laser activation, light activation, and photobiomodulation. MATERIALS AND
methodsSystematic reviews and meta-analyses evaluating in-office bleaching with optical activation or photobiomodulation were included. Outcomes were color change, tooth sensitivity, pulpal safety, and adverse effects. Methodological quality was assessed using A Measurement Tool to Assess Systematic Reviews 2, and certainty was judged through an umbrella-level certainty framework.
resultsTen systematic reviews published from 2007 to 2024 were included. Laser or light activation showed no consistent improvement in final whitening efficacy compared with nonactivated protocols. Sensitivity was not reduced and was less favorable in some high-energy protocols. Photobiomodulation reduced post-bleaching sensitivity across placebo-controlled randomized trials without impairing color change. Safety findings were mainly parameter-dependent, especially regarding intrapulpal temperature during high-energy activation.
conclusionsLaser or light activation did not improve final whitening efficacy. Photobiomodulation reduced post-bleaching sensitivity without reducing whitening efficacy. High-energy activation showed parameter-dependent thermal concerns. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Current evidence does not support the routine use of laser activation to improve bleaching outcomes, whereas photobiomodulation represents a sensitivity-reducing adjunct for susceptible patients.
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