Theobromine Slows Enamel Erosion and Lesion Progression

Objectives: The objective of this study was to determine if 300ppm theobromine has the ability to prevent enamel erosion and/or to prevent lesion progression. We hypothesized that a 300ppm theobromine rinse would prevent enamel demineralization and erosion compared to a non-theobromine rinse.
Methods: Human enamel samples were cut into (2x2x1)mm blocks and mounted on plastic blocks. The natural surface of each sample was bisected into a lacquer protected and a non-treated area. The samples (n=10/group) were placed in a modified Featherstone model mouth system that simulated a realistic salivary flow with 3x/day lactic acid challenges. During the 5-day trial, the test group (THBr) received a 2x/day 300mmol theobromine rinse and the control group (Ctrl) received a water rinse 2x/day. The enamel samples were then cross sectioned, microscopically imaged and analyzed for erosive loss and lesion depth using Image-J software.
Results: In this mouth model 2x/day exposure to a rinse of 300ppm theobromine significantly reduced the amount of enamel erosion {THBr=46±14μm vs Ctrl=124±37μm} at p<0.0001; and also significantly reduced the lesion depth {THBr=43±20μm vs Ctrl=83±20μm} at p=0.0003. For the THBr samples only, a mineralized layer 33±22μm thick was observed at the surface of the lesion.
Conclusions: The data supports our hypothesis that the theobromine rinse has a significant protective effect on the demineralization of enamel. Further studies are needed to confirm these results and to analyze the composition of the mineralized layer observed on the surface of the lesion.