Use of Remineralizers in Dental Erosion. in Vitro Study

Objectives: To perform an “in vitro” evaluation of enamel dissolution upon exposure to regular and diet non-alcoholic beverages
Methods: Twenty-four healthy premolars (n=128 blocks) extracted for orthodontic purposes were used; the specimens were sterilized in an autoclave, and sectioned in two blocks (buccal and lingual) using a high speed steel burr under cooling. Each block was weighed using an OHAUS (A5200) weighing scale with a precision of 0.0001 g. Beverages used, following determination of pH , were regular coke, diet coke, orange sports drink and freshly fresh-squeezed orange juice. Ten blocks were exposed to each beverage. The controls (8) were exposed to distilled water. The blocks were weighed at 1, 8 and 15 days, and re-immersed in fresh samples of the corresponding beverage each time. Statistical analysis: Repeated measures ANOVA and Dunett's post hoc test
Results: : After 24 hours, the samples were hydrated and this weight was considered basal. No differences were found between the baseline weight and the first measurement. Between the second and third measurements, the difference in mg of weight loss was calculated and then compared with the weight of the blocks in water vs. beverages. Significant differences were observed between water and sports drink (diff. of 29 mg) (p=0.001), between water and squeezed juice (diff, of 26 mg) (p= 0.001). No significant differences were found between water and regular coke (14 mg) and diet coke (11 mg) (p < 0.001)
Conclusions: At similar periods and pH the beverages have different behaviors, which could be attributed to the composition of each beverage. Shown results indicate that the analyzed beverages can cause enamel dissolution in the long-term.