Remineralization of artificial carious lesions using a novel fluoride incorporated bioactive glass dentifrice

BACKGROUND: Remineralization potential of dentifrices with novel compositions that can restore minerals back into incipient carious lesions has not been extensively studied so far. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of a dentifrice based on novel fluoride incorporated bioactive glass in remineralizing artificial carious lesions in human enamel, and compare it with a standard fluoride-containing dentifrice. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Twenty-four human extracted teeth were sectioned at the cementoenamel junction to obtain enamel blocks. These blocks (n = 24) were randomly divided into 3 groups, with each group containing 8 specimens: group 1 (negative control group; distilled water), group 2 (positive control group; fluoride toothpaste) and group 3 (test group; BioMinTM F toothpaste). Artificial carious lesions were produced in the enamel surfaces by exposing them to a demineralization solution (6% citric acid, pH 2.2) for 96 h. After demineralization, the specimens were brushed with manual toothbrushes in a toothbrush simulation machine (each sample received 800 strokes). For brushing the specimens from group 1, 20 mL of distilled water was used, for group 2 - 20 mL of slurry of toothpaste mixed with artificial saliva, and for group 3 - 20 mL of slurry of toothpaste (BioMin F) mixed with artificial saliva. The micro-hardness data (VHN - Vickers hardness number) was collected at baseline (sound enamel), post-demineralization and post-remineralization. RESULTS: The biggest difference between the post-remineralization and post-demineralization values was observed in group 3 (mean VHN = 118.73), followed by group 2 (mean VHN = 60.54) and group 1 (mean VHN = 47.44). All the groups revealed significant differences (p < 0.05) when the post-demineralization and post-remineralization values were compared to baseline values within each group. CONCLUSIONS: The BioMin F group outperformed the other 2 groups in terms of remineralizing the demineralized enamel structure.