Abstract
Background: Satisfaction is usually reported as a single global rating, which does not show which aspect of care patients respond to. This secondary analysis examined how measured colour change and treatment-related sensitivity relate to two components of satisfaction, and compared those components between treatment groups.
Materials and Methods: Secondary analysis of a randomised, two-arm parallel trial in 68 adults allocated 1:1 by drawing lots (34 per group), without blinding of participants or assessors. Both groups wore custom trays with 20% carbamide peroxide 6 – 8 h daily for 14 days, blended 1:1 with glycerin (Group 1) or casein phosphopeptide–amorphous calcium phosphate (CPP-ACP) (Group 2). At day 14 participants rated perceived colour change and their experience of the procedure; a binary satisfaction classification derived from the experience item was also analysed. Dentin sensitivity (Schiff score, daily visual analogue scale, VAS) and colour change (ΔE) were examined as associated factors in exploratory analyses.
Results: ΔE was higher in participants classified as satisfied (median 9.35 versus 3.75, p < 0.001), perceived colour change correlated strongly with measured ΔE (Spearman ρ = 0.84, p < 0.001) and the experience item correlated inversely with mean daily VAS (ρ = −0.27, p = 0.026). Satisfaction, classified from the experience item, was more frequent in Group 2 (29/34, 85.3%) than in Group 1 (20/34, 58.8%): risk difference 26.5%, 95% confidence interval (CI) 6.1 to 46.9; p = 0.015. Perceived colour change did not differ between groups (p = 0.666), whereas the experience item differed between groups (p = 0.010). ΔE did not differ between groups (p = 0.783). Dentin sensitivity was less frequent in Group 2 (41.2% versus 79.4%, p = 0.001). In exploratory logistic regression, ΔE was associated with the satisfaction classification after adjustment for group (odds ratio [OR] 2.78 per unit, 95% CI 1.64 to 4.72); the association with group remained after adjustment for ΔE (OR 11.49, 95% CI 1.42 to 92.76), and its 95% CI included 1 after mean daily VAS was added (OR 6.63, 95% CI 0.75 to 58.96).
Conclusion: Greater measured colour change was associated with greater perceived colour change and with the satisfaction classification, whereas poorer ratings of the treatment experience were associated with higher daily sensitivity. The CPP-ACP group reported a better treatment experience despite a similar ΔE. The associations were exploratory.
| Published | 2026-11-15 | |
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| Issue | Vol. 16 No. S-3 (2026) | |
| Section | Original Articles | |
| DOI | 10.34071/jmp.2026.S-3.19 | |
| Keywords | patient satisfaction, patient-reported outcome measures, dentin sensitivity, at-home tooth bleaching, CPP-ACP |
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Copyright (c) 2026 Hue Journal of Medicine and Pharmacy
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