Evaluation of caries remineralization potential of toothpastes containing three remineralizing agents - calcium sucrose phosphate, β tricalcium phosphate and fluoro calcium phosphosilicate: An in vitro study

Abstract

The “Minimally invasive” approach for caries incorporates detecting carious lesions in the incipient stage and treating those lesions using remineralizing agents, thus emphasizing prevention rather than the traditional method.Aim: To evaluate the remineralizing potential of three different tooth remineralizing agents (Calcium Sucrose Phosphate, Functionalised β Tricalcium Phosphate and Fluoro Calcium Phosphosilicate) on demineralized tooth surfaces using Vickers microhardness test and Atomic Force Microscopy.Materials and Methods: Thirty freshly extracted mandibular premolars were collected. The prepared enamel samples were assigned to three different groups with ten specimens each. The specimens were then demineralized using McInne’s demineralizing solution in two cycles. Remineralization was carried out for fifteen and thirty days in two cycles using Calcium Sucrose Phosphate (ENAFIX), Functionalised β Tricalcium Phosphate (Clinpro Tooth Crème), and Fluoro Calcium Phosphosilicate (ELSENZ) containing toothpastes for groups I, II, III respectively. The specimens were subjected to Vickers microhardness test and Atomic force microscopic evaluation post-demineralization and remineralization cycles. The results were tabulated and statistically analysed.Results: Study results showed that the three remineralizing agents tested increased Vicker’s hardness number values and decreased the surface roughness significantly in a span of 30 days. Their remineralisation potential was effective.Conclusion: β TriCalcium Phosphate (Clinpro tooth crème) has superior remineralizing efficacy compared to the other two remineralizing toothpastes.