Nanoscale Study on Noninvasive Prevention of Dental Erosion of Enamel by Silver Diamine Fluoride.

Abstract

Here, we aimed to demonstrate the efficacy of silver diamine fluoride (SDF) in halting dental erosion caused by dietary selection and offer a potential explanation for the underlying mechanism. We investigated the surface chemical and mechanical characteristics of human tooth enamel when exposed to Coca-Cola from 10 s to 1 h, with and without the topical treatment of SDF. We analyzed the mechanical properties by measuring the enamel surface roughness and elastic modulus using atomic force microscopy and the surface chemical composition through x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analyses, with scanning electron microscopy as a supplementary characterization method. After 1 h of immersion in Coca-Cola, the roughness changed from 83 to 287 nm for enamel without SDF treatment and 64 to 70 nm for enamel with SDF treatment. Under the same conditions, the elastic modulus changed from 125 GPa to 13 GPa for enamel without SDF treatment and 215 GPa to 205 GPa for enamel with SDF treatment. Topical coating of SDF onto enamel formed a passivation layer composed of fluorapatite and created added fluorine flux in the system, which protected the teeth from demineralization under Coca-Cola etching, as shown by morphology and chemical composition analysis as well as roughness and modulus characterization. Applying SDF to enamel minimizes changes in chemical compositions and surface roughness while improving enamel elastic modulus.