The Potential of Self-assembling Peptides for Enhancement of In Vitro Remineralisation of White Spot Lesions as Measured by Quantitative Laser Fluorescence.

PURPOSE: To test the remineralisation potential of a single application of self-assembling peptides or acidic fluoride solution using quantitative light-induced fluorescence (QLF) in vitro. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Bovine enamel disks were prepared, and white spot lesions were created on one half of the disk with an acidic buffer solution. After demineralisation, disks were allocated into three groups of 11 specimens each. Group A served as a control group and received no treatment. Group B had a single application of fluoride, and group C was treated once with self-assembling peptides. All disks were embedded in a plastic mold (diameter 15 mm, height 9 mm) with an a-silicone, and remineralisation was initiated using a pH-cycling protocol for five days. Four experimental regions on each disk were measured prior to the start of the study (T0), after demineralisation (T1) and after the remineralisation process (T2) using QLF. RESULTS: After demineralisation, all areas showed a distinct loss of fluorescence, with no statistically significant difference between the groups (ΔF from -69.3 to -10.2). After remineralisation, samples of group B (treated with fluoride) showed a statistically significant fluorescence increase (ΔF from T1 to T2 15.2 ± 7.3) indicating remineralisation, whereas the samples of control group A and group C (treated with self-assembling peptides) showed no significant changes in ΔF of 1.1 ± 1.9 and 2.5 ± 1.9, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Application of self-assembling peptides on demineralised bovine enamel did not lead to increased fluorescence using QLF, indicating either lack of remineralisation or irregular crystals. Increased fluorescence using QLF indicated mineral gain following a single application of a highly concentrated fluoride.

Cleaning Efficacy of Manual Toothbrushes Around Brackets - A Pilot Randomised Control Trial.

PURPOSE: To test the cleaning efficacy of different manual toothbrushes in orthodontic patients in a single-blind randomised clinical trial. The brushes tested were selected based on previous in vitro tests. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-five regular orthodontic patients with a minimum of six bonded brackets on the maxillary anterior teeth were randomly assigned to three experimental groups: staged (2-level) (Candida Parodin, 12 patients) and V-shaped (Oral-B Ortho, 12 patients) toothbrush head designs were compared in a two-phase study to planar control brushes (Paro M 43, 11 patients). First, all participants were advised to brush their teeth twice daily for 2 min for 3 weeks. Prior to the start and at the end of the study, the gingival index was assessed to evaluate the level of oral hygiene. Afterwards, cleaning efficacy was assessed planimetrically by disclosing the respective teeth after two days of not performing any oral hygiene measures. RESULTS: Of the initial 35 participants, two did not attend after 3 weeks and had to be excluded. After 3 weeks, the control (5 out of 180 sites or -2.8% with GI ≥ 2) and staged groups (16 out of 216 sites or 7.5% with GI ≥ 2) showed minor improvement in the oral hygiene level. In contrast, the V-shaped group (29 out of 198 sites or 14.6 % with GI ≥ 2) showed a statistically significant improvement of the oral hygiene level. Planimetric evaluation, however, showed no superior cleaning efficacy of any of the tested head designs. CONCLUSIONS: The use of V-shaped and staged toothbrush head designs might be beneficial in patients with inadequate oral hygiene undergoing orthodontic treatment with a fixed appliance. Further large-scale investigations are, however, necessary to validate the presented results.