EFFECTS OF TREATMENT OF ARTIFICIAL ENAMEL LESIONS, USING RESIN INFILTRATION, CASEIN PHOSPHOPEPTIDEAMORPHOUS CALCIUM PHOSPHATE, AND FLUORIDE. AN IN VITRO STUDY

Abstract

White spot lesions of the enamel are the first clinical signs of dental caries. Depending on the site-specific state of caries activity, the lesion might either tend to progress (‘active lesion’) or to stagnate or regress (‘inactive lesion’). Traditional preventive measures aim at inactivating active noncavitated enamel lesions by enhancing ‘remineralization; this might be achieved by good oral hygiene, including the daily use of a toothbrush and fluoride toothpaste. Professional application of highly concentrated fluoride products may boost a positive outcome, and the use of remineralizing agents such as casein phosphopeptide amorphous calcium phosphate. This strategy requires a good compliance by the patient. Patients, however, often show multiple active lesions as a consequence of a lack of compliance and neglect of oral hygiene. Thus, a more invasive chairside method has recently been suggested. This method is the so-called ‘infiltration’ technique, which aims at instantaneous lesion inactivation of noncavitated enamel lesions by infiltrating the porous carious enamel with a specific resin. Accordingly, the aim of this study was to assess microhardness, resin infiltration, and color change of artificial enamel lesions treated with Resin Infiltration, Casein Phosphopeptide Amorphous Calcium Phosphate, and Fluoride Gel using Scanning Electron Microscope, Microhardness Testing and Spectrophotometer A total of twenty eight sound human primary molars extracted at the time of their exfoliation were collected. Teeth were cut mesiodistally into two equal halves using a #100 grit abrasive disc, mounted on a low speed straight handpiece with copious water irrigation, and the roots of the teeth were cut using the same abrasive disc Enamel lesions were fabricated by immersing all the specimens in demineralizing solution for 96 hours. Afterwards teeth were divided into three groups according to the treatment modality and the method of the evaluation. 30 specimens were assigned for microhardness testing, 15 specimens were assigned for color change, 10 specimens were assigned for scanning electron microscope. Results were tabulated showing that the resin infiltration had the highest value of microhardness compared to the casein phosphopeptide amorphous calcium phosphate and the acidulated fluoride gel. As for the masking ability of the white spot lesion, resin infiltration had the best ability in masking the white color of the enamel lesion.