Effect of fruit teas on the smear layer

Objectives: To assess the ability of fruit teas to remove the smear layer in vitro. Methods: The erosive potential of a variety of fruit teas was assessed by measuring their pH and neutralisable acidity. Smeared dentine specimens were prepared from extracted teeth and the ability of each tea to remove the smear layer was assessed by measuring the diameter and area of the opened tubules and counting the number of patent tubules seen in a unit area using scanning electron microscopy. A 0.2% citric acid solution was used as a positive control. Results: The pH of the fruit teas ranged from 2.98-3.95 and the neutralisable acidity ranged from 10.63-33.0 mls of 0.1M NaOH. All the fruit teas tested were able to remove the smear layer and the mean diameter of the tubules ranged from 0.61-1.14 microns. The mean area ranged from 0.31-1.03 square microns. The number of patent tubules per specimen ranged from 13-121. Conclusion: All the fruit teas tested were found to be highly acidic and able to remove the smear layer. This information will be of use to clinicians when counseling patients with dentine hypersensitivity.