Methods: Following ethical approval, human enamel specimens were prepared from molar teeth. Whole stimulated saliva was collected from 6 healthy donors and pooled. Specimens were allocated into 5 groups (n=6) and exposed to saliva for 2min followed by treatment of chlorhexidine or water for 1min and saliva for a further 2h. Specimens were again treated with either water or chlorhexidine for another 1min. Three of the 5 groups were soaked in water or tea solution for 1h prior to exposure of all groups to 0.3% citric acid at pH3.2 for 10min. This regimen was repeated 5 times for each group. The amount of tissue loss was measured using non-contact profilometry.
Results: The amount of tissue loss from specimens treated with chlorhexidine and soaked in tea (4.54µm) was statistically significantly less (p<0.05) than specimens treated with water and soaked in tea (8.23µm). There was no statistical difference between specimens treated with water and soaked in tea against specimens treated with chlorhexidine (10.79µm) or specimens treated with water (11.18µm). The amount of tissue loss from specimens treated with chlorhexidine and soaked in water (11.95µm) was significantly greater than those treated with water and soaked in tea.
Conclusion: Staining pellicle coated enamel with a regimen of chlorhexidine followed by tea provided a significant protection from erosion when compared to single treatments of either tea or chlorhexidine.