Calcium content of plaque after consumption of Milch-Schnitte

Previous work [Higham et al: Caries Res 1991;25:233] showed that there was significantly greater remineralisation of experimentally created lesions when the snack food Milch-Schnitte (MS) was consumed as a between-meal snack (+MS) than when no snack was consumed (-MS). Objectives: To determine whether calcium from the MS enters the plaque and is trapped within the plaque matrix and is then at elevated levels at the interface of the plaque and tooth surface. Methods: The subjects wore a bracket containing a small piece of enamel mounted onto it covered with gauze to encourage plaque accumulation. The bracket was cemented to the buccal surface of a lower molar tooth with a dental cement and worn for three weeks. Subjects ate their normal diet in addition to MS 4 times daily (+MS) or no MS (-MS). This was repeated so that subjects completed both the –MS and +MS phase, after which time this bracket was removed. The gauze covering the enamel slab was carefully removed using a blade and sectioned longitudinally. The outer (buccal facing) and inner (enamel facing) surfaces of the gauze were placed on metal stubs and analysed using the scanning electronmicroscope for calcium content. Results: The mean calcium content measured in weight % on the outer and inner surface –MS was: 0.1±0.16 and 0.099±0.14 and +MS was 0.12±0.2 and 0.69±0.5. Conclusions: These results show a significant increase (p£0.05) in weight % of calcium on the inner surface of the gauze after consumption of MS. This work was sponsored by Fererro oHG mbH