The effects of different ways of storing extracted teeth

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of different ways of storing extracted teeth on dental enamel by means of shear resistence tests. Methods: One hundred and sixty two bovine teeth were stored for eigth days or six months in 0.5% Chloramine ,0.4% Sodium azide, 10% Formalin and 0.5% Thymol. The Autoclave method was part of the first group. After that, the teeth were submitted to shear resistence tests in EMIC and then the types of fractures were analysed. Results: After eight days, the Autoclave sterilization method revealed an average value of resistence to shear significantly lower than the four solutions used. After six months, results using the 10% Formalin solution were significantly greater than all other groups. When types of fractures were analyzed, a greater prevalance of adhesive fractures (72.28%) was observed compared to a frequency of 16.44% for enamel fractures. At the end of eight days storing, 14.45% of the teeth submitted to testing presented ruptured enamel. The percentage of teeth that presented ruptured enamel after six months was even higher (18.84%). The methods of disinfection that revealed lower values of shear strength (Autoclave and Thymol) presented only tooth/resin interface fractures, while enamel fractures occurred for the groups that revealed, greater values of resistance. It was observed that 44.5% of the teeth stored in 10% Formalin resulted in enamel fractures at the end of six months. Conclusion: The results suggest that the dental surface may be affected, making it more susceptible to chipping, depending on the type of storing, which in turn could compromise the results of the studies that evaluated the adhesion to dental structures.