comparative assessment of the remineralization potential of five modern oral health products on bovine enamel

Abstract

The purpose of this in vitro study was to evaluate the remineralization effect of five preventive treatments on bovine enamel after artificial caries challenge. Sixty sound bovine incisors were randomly distributed into six experimental groups (n = 10). Each group received the following daily preventive treatments for two weeks during pH cycling to assess remineralization efficacy: Group 1—no treatment (control), Group 2—CPP-ACPF treatment, Group 3—fluoride-containing bioactive glass treatment (BioMin™F), Group 4—SnF2 treatment, Group 5—toothpaste containing fluoride and hydroxyapatite (HA), and Group 6—toothpaste containing HA. Surface hardness changes were evaluated using a nanoindentation tester. Scanning electron microscopy was used to observe changes in surface morphology, and the mineral composition of enamel in each group was analyzed using energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). Groups 2, 3 and 6 exhibited the highest surface hardness values after pH cycling, with no statistically significant differences among them (p > 0.05), whereas groups 4 and 5 presented significantly lower values (p < 0.05). Although all treatments demonstrated significant remineralization potential—resulting in an 18.7–35.2% increase in surface hardness—none of them fully restored the hardness loss caused by demineralization. SEM observations revealed precipitations mainly in groups 2–4 after the treatments. EDS showed a similar elemental composition on enamel across the groups with no differences compared to the control. Additionally, line scans of the Ca and P content from the surface to the deeper layers resulted higher values in the tested groups compared to the control corresponding to the surface hardness values. The tested remineralizing treatments may be useful to limit the demineralizing effect during caries formation.