Effect of biomimetic mineralization on enamel and dentin: A Raman and EDX analysis

Abstract

ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of an experimental biomimetic mineralization kit (BIMIN) on the chemical composition and crystallinity of caries-free enamel and dentin samples in vitro. MethodsEnamel and dentin samples from 20 human teeth (10 for enamel; 10 for dentin) were divided into a control group without treatment and test samples with BIMIN treatment. Quantitative analysis of tissue penetration of fluoride, phosphate, and calcium was performed using energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). Mineralization depth was measured by Raman spectroscopy probing the symmetric valence vibration near 960cm−1 as a marker for crystallinity. EDX data was statistically analyzed using a paired t-test and Raman data was analyzed using the Student’s t-test. ResultsEDX analysis demonstrated a penetration depth of fluoride of 4.10±3.32μm in enamel and 4.31±2.67μm in dentin. Calcium infiltrated into enamel 2.65±0.64μm and into dentin 5.58±1.63μm, while the penetration depths for phosphate were 4.83±2.81μm for enamel and 6.75±3.25μm for dentin. Further, up to 25μm of a newly mineralized enamel-like layer was observed on the surface of the samples. Raman concentration curves demonstrated an increased degree of mineralization up to 5–10μm into the dentin and enamel samples. SignificanceBiomimetic mineralization of enamel and dentin samples resulted in an increase of mineralization and a penetration of fluoride into enamel and dentin.