Depth of Demineralization of Enamel With Early Childhood Caries

Objectives: To evaluate the difference in the depth of demineralization and the surface roughness of primary teeth enamel with and without Early Childhood Caries (ECC).
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Methods: Samples were divided into two groups. Group 1 (n=32) & Group 2 (n=32). Both the groups were subjected to artificial demineralisation. The teeth were covered with an acid resistant nail varnish, leaving a window of 2*2 mm on the buccal surface. The demineralisation lesion were created by subjecting the teeth to demineralising solution (0.1 mol/l lactic acid, pH 5.3) at 37°C for 30 days. Bucco-palatal sections were prepared using a hard tissue microtome. Prepared specimens were analysed for depth of demineralization using the 3D non contact profilometer
Results: The mean depth of demineralization of the ECC group was found to be 9.04 + 4.08 compared to 4.44 ± 3.39 in non-ECC group.
Conclusions: The mean depth of demineralization is significantly higher in the ECC group with almost twice the value of the non-ECC group.