Remineralization of demineralized teeth enamel with nHAp and nHAp-NaF-PEO nanocomposite

Abstract

Teeth enamel, composed of calcium and phosphorus, becomes demineralized in contact with beverages and food. The essential component of teeth, enamel, can be remineralized with the use of nano-hydroxyapatite (nHAp) alone or in a solution consisting of nHAp, sodium fluoride (NaF), and polyethylene oxide (PEO) nanocomposite. We divided ten sound-extracted teeth into two groups: Group A consisted of three teeth treated with nHAp colloids, while Group B consisted of seven teeth treated with nHAp-NaF-PEO nanocomposite in solution. We demineralized the teeth of both groups by soaking them in various pH-adjusted demineralizing agents for different periods. We analyzed the morphology and composition of the demineralized teeth by the scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDAX). The teeth specimens were brushed two times/day for about 2 minutes each, with a 12-hours interval between brushing sessions, to remineralize them over four weeks. Periodically, the enamel specimens were placed in distilled water and maintained at 37° C in the CO₂ incubator. We analyzed the morphology and composition of the remineralized teeth by SEM and EDAX. The results show that the surface morphology produced by the nHAp-NaF-PEO nanocomposite solution was quite similar to the baseline enamel morphology. We observed an increase in mineral content, namely the Ca/P ratio, in the nHAp-NaF- PEO nanocomposite solution. The nHAp-NaF-PEO nanocomposite solution aids the remineralization of the decayed teeth more effectively than nHAp singly and heals carious lesions. Both nHAp and nHAp-NaF-PEO heals the morphology of carious teeth.