Preventing Enamel Erosion Research Articles

In situ enamel morphology evaluation after acidic soft drink consumption: protection factor of contemporary toothpaste

The enamel erosion induced by acidic soft drinks is an increasingly important problem. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of soft drinks on enamel erosion and the protection offered by representative modern toothpastes using a new 'in situ scanning electron microscopy (SEM)-replica technique'. Six patients were selected to receive in vivo enamel replicas, fabricated with a polyvinyl-siloxane/polyether impression material. Scanning electron microscopy was used to evaluate the morphology of enamel surface before and after exposure to lemon juice and SPRITE. The protective effectiveness of toothpaste was further evaluated with the same method. Furthermore, to validate the effectiveness of the in situ SEM-replica technique, we compared it to a direct in vitro SEM investigation on extracted teeth. Scanning electron microscopy investigation of the in situ replicas showed severe enamel morphology alterations after acidic soft drink exposure. On the other hand, it was also showed the protective effectiveness of toothpaste in preventing enamel erosion induced by acidic soft drinks. The direct in vitro SEM investigation provided similar enamel erosion results and proved the effectiveness of the in situ SEM-replica technique. Acidic soft drinks induce enamel erosion but regular use of toothpaste might reduce the risk for enamel erosion. The in situ SEM-replica technique provides an accurate method for tracing enamel morphology alterations and erosion induced by acidic soft drinks.

Pronamel and tooth mousse: An initial assessment of erosion prevention in vitro

The aim of this study was to examine whether a single topical application of proenamel or tooth mousse would prevent enamel erosion Enamel samples were treated with either proenamel or tooth mousse applied for 15 min. The control group was placed in distilled water for 15 min. All specimens were then exposed to an erosive challenge of 0.2% citric acid for 1h. Enamel loss was determined using surfometry. The mean amount of enamel removed in the control group was 5.02 microm (S.D. 1.16). The mean enamel loss in the proenamel group was 2.60 microm (S.D. 0.90) and the mean enamel loss in the tooth mousse group was 3.28 microm (S.D. 1.22). The results for the proenamel group were statistically significantly different from the control group at the p<0.01 level and the results for the tooth mousse group were statistically significantly different from the control group at the p<0.05 level. Tooth mousse and proenamel may offer a degree of protection from erosion of permanent enamel.