Methods: 17 human teeth were divided into 5 portions and demineralized for 48 hours (except for one portion). Each portion was assigned to a treatment group: A) Without treatment, B) Demineralized, C) CPP-ACP, D) CPP-ACP with fluoride and E) 2% NaF. In 12 teeth, the amount of Ca and P was quantified by Energy Dispersive X ray Spectroscopy (EDX) and analyzed with scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Moreover, 5 teeth were examined by X-ray diffraction (XRD) to identify crystalline phases in their composition.
Results: The results were analyzed statistically (ANOVA). It was observed that the amount of calcium did not differ significantly among groups A, B, C and D (p = 0.131). Regarding phosphorus, there was a significant difference among all groups. (P = 0.001). Group E showed incorporation of fluoride. The averages are shown in the chart. In the SEM analysis, differences were found between the initial conditions of the tooth and after the treatment. On the other hand, the RXD study detected hydroxyapatite as the major phase.
Treatment Group |
Ca |
P |
F |
Group A |
60,21 |
29,3 |
|
Group B |
60,32 |
29.4 |
|
Group C |
59,80 |
30,3 |
|
Group D |
59,71 |
29.1 |
|
Group E |
59,07 |
20,7 |
21,9 |
Conclusions:
Under the conditions of this study the treatment with acidulated sodium fluoride gel had a more significant remineralizing effect, compared with the treatments based on CPP-ACP.