Synthetic tooth enamel: SEM characterization of a fluoride hydroxyapatite coating for dentistry applications

Abstract

An alternative to etching enamel for retention of an adhesive is to grow crystals on the enamel surface. The potential advantages of crystal growth include easy procedure and less damage to the enamel. These crystals retain the adhesive or are the actual dental restoration. In this work, a paste of synthetic enamel was used to grow crystals of fluoride hydroxyapatite (F-HA) onto the human tooth surface. This technique can be used for several dentistry applications like enamel whitening, strengthening and restoration of early carie lesions. The low cost of reagents and simplicity of the technique along with the biocompatibility of the paste render possible the utilization on the market. The samples were prepared through the application of the paste by the incremental technique. The results obtained by scanning electron microscope (SEM)/EDX have indicated the deposition of a homogeneous layer of calcium phosphate that was grown onto the enamel substrate. The average thickness of the deposited film was in the range of 50-100 µm and with a similar density from the natural enamel observed by radiographic images.