Introduction: The remineralising effect of a casein phosphopeptide (CPP) product (Tooth Mousse, GC Corporation, Tokyo) has previously been tested on demineralised lesions in bovine enamel. The presence of erosion was a confounding variable.
Objective: To compare any remineralisation (R) of sub-surface caries like lesions made by CPP and fluoride toothpaste slurries.
Method: Twelve bovine upper incisors were sectioned into five and varnished to leave a 5x5 mm window. Each section was exposed to a demineralising solution (pH 4.5) for 18 hours. Sections were imaged with quantitative light induced fluorescence (QLF) following demineralisation (D). One section of each tooth was analysed with TMR. None showed evidence of erosion. The slabs were allocated by structured randomisation into regimen W,X,Y or Z. W distilled water; X artificial saliva, 0.05 ppmF, pH 7.2; Y 10% weight volume (w/v) CPP in artificial saliva 0.05 ppmF; and Z 10% w/v 1000 ppmF NaH2PO4 in artificial saliva 0.05 ppmF. Samples were stored in artificial saliva between dippings for 84 days with a total of 10 hours test time. The 48 sections each had 13 QLF images and TMR for one sample per group. Analysis was carried out using QLF V.2.00 software (Inspektor Research Systems, Netherlands).
Results: Initial results suggest increased fluorescence (ΔF) for samples with regimen Y and Z although Y appears to be more effective than Z. Analysis of samples with TMR also suggested a reduction in mean mineral loss for samples in regimens Y and Z.
Conclusions: On-going work suggests casein phosphopeptide is more effective than 1000 ppmF toothpaste in promoting remineralisation of bovine enamel in vitro. Further in vitro work is planned to assess the remineralising efficacy of CPP with varying degrees of carious lesions.