Abstract
Objective – This study aimed to determine and differentiate erosive softening and enamel erosive loss induced by citric and hydrochloric acids. Material and Methods – Forty enamel specimens were divided into 2 groups: 1) 0.05 M citric acid (pH 2.5) simulating extrinsic erosion and 2) 0.01 M hydrochloric acid (pH 2.2) simulating intrinsic erosion. The enamel specimens were submitted to erosive challenges. Surface microhardness (softening) or contact profilometry (loss) was done after 30 s, after each 60 s up to 10 min, after each 5 min up to 30 min and after 60, 90 and 120 min. Results – Erosive softening (enamel hardness loss) was measurable up to 1 and 2 min for hydrochloric and citric acids, respectively. Erosive loss was significantly increased over time for both types of acids. After 8 min, citric acid was more aggressive than hydrochloric acid (p < 0.001). Conclusion – The progression of enamel erosion from erosive softening to erosive loss is highly dependent on the type of acid, being citric acid more aggressive in later stages. Therefore, this finding should be considered when choosing the method of analysis for laboratory studies. Keywords: Enamel; Erosive wear; Microhardness; Profilometry; Tooth erosion.
Highlights
Dental erosion was firstly defined as an irreversible loss of dental structure due to a chemical process not involving bacteria [1]
Despite a significant loss of surface microhardness was seen for citric acid between 2-3 min, the baseline indentations were not longer visible
There is a lack of concise information about the progression of enamel softening to erosive loss by the effect of different acids
Summary
Dental erosion was firstly defined as an irreversible loss of dental structure due to a chemical process not involving bacteria [1]. The acid contact causes an erosive softening due to a demineralization of the outermost enamel layer. Continuous acid contact leads to a measureable erosive enamel loss [2,3]. Dental erosion is a multifactorial and complex condition determined by chemical (type of acid), biological (saliva, acquired pellicle) and behavior (frequency of acid exposure, brushing habits) factors [4,5]. It is most likely that in real life, dental erosion alone is not the main reason for dental hard tissue loss, but it is a mixture of a chemical-mechanical processes involving erosion, abrasion and attrition [6]
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