Assessment of the Remineralizing Potential of Biomimetic Materials on Early Artificial Caries Lesions after 28 Days: An In Vitro Study

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the loss of mineral content in the enamel surface in early artificial lesions and to assess the remineralizing potential of different agents by means of SEM coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX). The analysis was performed on the enamel of 36 molars divided into six equal groups, in which the experimental ones (3–6) were treated using remineralizing agents for a 28-day pH cycling protocol as follows: Group 1, sound enamel; Group 2, artificially demineralized enamel; Group 3, CPP-ACP treatment; Group 4, Zn-hydroxyapatite treatment; Group 5, NaF 5% treatment; and Group 6, F-ACP treatment. Surface morphologies and alterations in Ca/P ratio were evaluated using SEM-EDX and data underwent statistical analysis (p < 0.05). Compared with the sound enamel of Group 1, the SEM images of Group 2 clearly showed loss of integrity, minerals, and interprismatic substances. Groups 3–6 showed a structural reorganization of enamel prisms, interestingly comprising almost the entire enamel surface. Group 2 revealed highly significant differences of Ca/P ratios compared with other groups, while Groups 3–6 showed no differences with Group 1. In conclusion, all tested materials demonstrated a biomimetic ability in remineralizing lesions after 28 days of treatment.

Multidisciplinary evaluation of the remineralization potential of three fluoride-based toothpastes on natural white spot lesions

“…Many efforts were made to provide efficient therapies in terms of remineralization and aesthetic appearance of WSL, such as fluorides, phosphopeptide compounds, xylitol, infiltrative resins, microabrasion, and/or bleaching and preparation and restoration [ 33 ]. However, although various therapies have been proposed for WSLs, no specific intervention has been selected as a perfect solution for this commonplace trouble [ 4 , 34 ]. Consequently, WSLs continue to present a significant challenge for both clinicians and patients.…”

A Modern Multidisciplinary Method to Characterize Natural White Spot Lesions with 2D and 3D Assessments: A Preliminary Study

“…The resulting micrographs were used to assess the micromorphology and elemental composition of both the sound enamel and WSL [35]. The surface elemental characterization was conducted using EDX with EDAX Element Microanalysis (AMETEK Gmbh, EDAX Business Unit, Weiterstadt, Germany) [36]. EDX analysis was performed on three distinct areas of the samples using the following operating parameters: 15 mm working distance, 20 kV acceleration voltage, and 1000× magnification.…”

Mass Spectrometry Imaging of Biomaterials

“…Surface properties of biomaterials obviously can be analyzed not only by MSI methods, but many others can also serve in this field. A typical example could be given: atomic force microscopy (AFM) [ 1 , 2 ], Raman spectroscopy [ 3 , 4 ], X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) [ 5 , 6 ], energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) [ 7 , 8 ], Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) [ 9 , 10 ] or scanning electron microscopy (SEM) [ 11 , 12 , 13 ]. In fact, several of the above-mentioned methods are simultaneously used to obtain reliable results.…”