Restoration of Tooth Enamel Using a Flexible Hydroxyapatite Sheet Coated with Tricalcium Phosphate

Restoration and protection of tooth enamel are of great importance in operative and conservative dentistry. Using a Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD) method, we have successfully created a freestanding flexible double-layered sheet composed of a Hydroxyapatite (HAp) layer (4 m in thickness) coated with a Tricalcium Phosphate (TCP) layer (500 nm). In order to apply the newly developed HAp/TCP sheet to the restoration and protection of tooth enamel, the adhesive characteristics of the HAp/TCP sheet on the enamel were evaluated mechanically and microstructurally in the present study. The adhesive strength (5.7 MPa) between the HAp/TCP sheet and enamel was markedly higher than that (1.9 MPa) between the mono-layered HAp sheet and enamel. The electron microscopic observation revealed that HAp/TCP sheet was widely fused with the enamel. Therefore, the double-layered HAp/TCP sheet can be used as a material to promote the repair of tooth eruption and to maintain healthy dentine.