Therapeutic effect of ozone gel on the initial carious lesions

Aim To evaluate and compare initial enamel caries treated by ozone gel with or without nanohydroxyapatite paste or fluoride gel. Materials and methods 30 intact, noncarious freshly extracted human premolars, were collected, cleaned from all soft debris and/or calculus and polished using prophy polishing paste. Each tooth was sectioned first at cement enamel junction (CEJ) to separate crown after removal of root. Each crown was mesiodistally sectioned to a thickness of 1–2 mm then stored in artificial saliva which was periodically changed. All the specimens were exposed to demineralizing solution at occlusal surface only (the surface of the study) for creation of enamel lesions. All the specimens were examined with, EDX and tested under PLM to evaluate enamel surface. After demineralization the specimens were divided randomly into three equal groups I, II and III consist of 10 specimens of each group. For group I Ozonized olive oil gel was used alone on occlusal surface for 1 min once daily, group II was treated as group I followed by application of 5% nanohydroxyapatite paste, while all specimens in group III were treated as group I followed by fluoride gel application. All the procedures at the three groups were repeated daily for 21 days. Result It was found that nonsignificant difference among the mean wt % values of mineral contents (Ca, P, and Ca/P ratio) between the three treatment groups at baseline and after demineralization (P ≥ 0.5), by using ANOVA test at remineralization stage it was found that (group II) recorded the highest mineral content with a mean value of 69.58 ± 1.54 followed by (group III) with a mean value of 69.36 ± 1.04 while the lowest mineral content mean value was 67.43 ± 0.92 which related to (group I). Also, highly statistically significant difference between the three groups was recorded (P = 0.001). Findings using PLM supported the previous results revealing decrease in optical reflectivity and the positive birefringent area which was about to appear broad positively birefringent body after demineralization and disappear after remineralization indicating a great mineral content recovery at all the three groups.