Influence of Remineralizing Agents on the Surface Roughness of Eroded Dental Enamel: in Vitro Study

The objective of this in vitro study was to evaluate the influence of remineralizing agents on the surface roughness of eroded tooth enamel. Forty incisive bovines were selected and sectioned to obtain specimens of 4mm X 4mm, resulting in a surface area of 16,00mm², with a thickness of 2.50mm. The specimens were immersed in lemon juice, twice a day, over 5 days, and randomly divided into the following 4 groups: G1 = No treatment; G2 = 1.23% APF; G3 = Fluoride Varnish 5% and G4 = Regenerated. The surface roughness of the specimens was analyzed by means of confocal laser scanning microscopy. The obtained data were submitted to ANOVA after attend the homogeneity (Levene´s) and normality tests (Kolmogorov-Smirnov). All tests were statistically significant at 5% (α=0.05). The results showed that there was no statistically significant difference on the enamel roughness surface area between groups in the experimental region and the founded values were higher at the experimental when compared to the control region, however, without differences between the groups in each region. It was concluded that the remineralizing agents were not able to reduce the surface roughness of the studied groups.   Keywords: Tooth Erosion. Dental Enamel. Fluorine. Tooth Remineralization. Resumo O objetivo deste estudo in vitro foi avaliar a influencia de agentes remineralizantes na rugosidade da superficial do esmalte dental erodido. Quarenta bovinos incisivos foram selecionados e seccionados para obter especimes de 4 mm x 4 mm, resultando em uma area superficial de 16,00 mm², com espessura de 2,50 mm. As amostras foram imersas em suco de limao, duas vezes ao dia, durante 5 dias, e divididas aleatoriamente nos 4 grupos seguintes: G1 = Sem tratamento; G2 = Fluor gel 1,23%; G3 = Verniz fluoretado 5% e G4 =Regenerate. A rugosidade superficial das amostras foi analisada por microscopia confocal de varredura a laser. Os dados obtidos foram submetidos a ANOVA apos os testes de homogeneidade (Levene) e normalidade (Kolmogorov-Smirnov). Todos os testes foram estatisticamente significantes a 5% (α = 0,05). Os resultados mostraram que nao houve diferenca estatisticamente significante na rugosidade de area do esmalte entre os grupos na regiao experimental e os valores encontrados foram maiores na experimental quando comparados a regiao controle, no entanto, sem diferencas entre os grupos em cada regiao. Concluiu-se que os remineralizantes nao foram capazes de reduzir a rugosidade da superficie dos grupos estudados. Palavras-chave: Erosao Dentaria. Esmalte dentario. Fluor. Remineralizacao Dentaria.