importance of enamel deproteinization in clinical dentistry: a review

ABSTRACT

Acid-etching employs dental etchants and is used frequently when bonding dental restoration to teeth. By dissolving minerals in enamel, the etchants remove the outer 10 micrometers on the enamel surface and make a porous layer 5-50 micrometers deep. This roughens the enamel microscopically and results in a greater surface area on which to bond. Acid etching with H3PO4 is not achieved over the entire adhesion surface of the tooth. Sodium Hypochlorite solutions have been used as wound and endodontic irrigant as early as 1920 due to its bactericidal and proteolytic properties. Irrigation of the root canals with sodium hypochiorite solutions is now widely accepted. Removing the organic content from the enamel surface with 5.2% sodium hypochiorite [NaOCl] as a deproteinizing agent prior to phosphoric acid etching has shown promising effect in improving the enamel surface area. However no relevant work has been done in Pakistan, so study must be conducted locally to find out the effect of sodium hypochiorite as a deproteinizing agent before acid etching