Little Ironweed and Java Tea in Herbal Toothpaste Reduced Dentine Permeability: An In Vitro Study.

Aim: To determine the effect of an herbal toothpaste containing Little Ironweed and Java Tea, on reducing dentine permeability in vitro. Materials and Methods: Dentine discs from human mandibular third molars were divided into three groups and brushed with herbal toothpaste, nonherbal toothpaste, or deionized water. Each group was immersed in artificial saliva (AS) or 6% citric acid. The permeability of each dentine disc was evaluated before and after saliva or acid challenge using a fluid filtration system. The morphology of dentine discs after treatment was observed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The mean permeabilities were statistically analyzed using analysis of variance and Tukey's test. Results: The nonherbal and herbal toothpaste groups demonstrated reduced dentine permeability. AS immersion decreased dentine permeability in both toothpaste groups with values lower than the control group. Dentine permeability values increased after acid immersion in the toothpaste groups and were similar to each other. SEM revealed small granular crystal-like and round particles on the dentine surface and opening of dentinal tubules of both toothpaste groups. More dentinal tubules were opened after brushing with deionized water. Conclusions: The reduction of dentine permeability caused by the herbal toothpaste was similar to that of the nonherbal toothpaste after brushing and the simulated oral conditions. Both herbal plants have the possibility to alleviate clinical hypersensitivity by reducing dentine permeability. Little Ironweed and Java Tea in the toothpaste composition is a potential choice for treating hypersensitive dentine.

Erosive potential of vitamin waters, herbal drinks, carbonated soft drinks, and fruit juices on human teeth: An in vitro investigation.

Background: Dental erosion is the loss of dental hard tissues through the acid dissolution of tooth minerals. One of the major factors that cause erosion is the consumption of acidic food and drinks. This study investigated and compared the effect of vitamin waters, herbal beverages, carbonated soft drinks, and fruit juices on the loss of human dental hard tissue. Methods: Human tooth samples were immersed in various drinks: vitamin waters, herbal beverages, carbonated soft drinks, and fruit juices. The pH value of each drink was measured using a pH meter. The weight of each sample was determined before and after six days of immersion in the tested drink, and the weight loss percentage was calculated. The exposed tooth surfaces were also examined under a scanning electron microscope. Results: Most of the tested drinks were acidic and displayed pH values lower than the critical pH for enamel erosion. Significant weight loss of the tooth samples was found in all tested drink groups. Additionally, the samples immersed in fruit juices and herbal beverages exhibited significantly greater weight loss than those immersed in carbonated soft drinks. Scanning electron micrographs showed samples immersed in the tested drinks to demonstrate structural disintegration with occasional void spaces, except for samples immersed in Doi Kham® Lemongrass drink. Conclusion: Most of the tested drinks have the potential to cause dissolution and destruction of dental hard tissues. Consumers should be aware that prolonged exposure to these drinks could lead to permanent loss of tooth mineral and dental erosion.

The synthesis of Tween80/calcium phosphate nanocomposite bioactive gelatine-based gels as a proof of concept for tooth sensitivity home-treatment.

Dentine hypersensitivity interferes with the lifestyle owing to pain arising from exposed dentine surfaces in response to stimuli. One common way to treat this problem is to occlude the exposed tubules. In this work, we have proposed a home-based treatment gel for tooth sensitivity. The gel was prepared using the emulsion method and contained Tween80/calcium phosphate nanocomposite that could occlude the tubules after 10 h of application. In preparation, Tween80 was used as a surfactant, and oleic acid was used as an oil phase to form a water-in-oil nanoreactor for calcium phosphate synthesis. Finally, different concentrations of gelatine were used to transform the emulsion into a stable gel. The nanoparticles had a uniform spherical shape and a diameter of approximately 300 nm. The nanocomposite gel containing the lowest amount of gelatine (Gel-T80-5%GE) exhibited the best liquid-like property and the highest occlusion rate of 95%.

Bonding Performance of Self-etching Adhesives to Bur-cut Dentin with Active Application Mode.

PURPOSE: This study evaluated whether active application of self-etching adhesives would influence their microtensile bond strength (µTBS) to dentin cut with burs of different grit sizes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eighty-four human premolars were divided into 12 groups according to 1) two dentin surface preparations with either superfine- or regular-grit diamond burs; 2) three adhesives - Clearfil SE Bond 2 (SE2), Scotchbond Universal (SBU, 3M Oral Care) and G-Premio Bond (GPB, GC); and 3) two application modes of each adhesive (active or passive). Six bonded teeth per group were sectioned into sticks for µTBS testing. Statistical analyses were performed using 3-way ANOVA followed by Duncan's test (p < 0.05). Additional teeth were prepared to observe the interaction between the dentin smear layer obtained from each bur with adhesives under different application modes using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). RESULTS: Active application significantly increased the dentin bond strength of SE2, irrespective of the kind of bur used (p < 0.05). The highest bond strength of SBU was observed when bonded to superfine-grit diamond bur-cut dentin with the active application. There was, however, no influence of the tested factors on GPB group (p > 0.05). TEM observation showed that active application promoted dentin smear layer dissolution in all adhesive groups. CONCLUSIONS: Bond strengths of self-etching adhesives to dentin are influenced by bur-cut smear layers and mainly by application mode of adhesive materials. Active application improves µTBS of self-etching adhesives by enhancing smear layer modification and resin penetration into bur-cut dentin.

Fabrication of calcium phosphate composite polymer/SLS-stabilized emulsion-based bioactive gels and their application for dentine tubule occlusion.

OBJECTIVES: Calcium phosphate/SLS/P123 composite bioactive gels were prepared to achieve dentine tubule occlusion. METHODS: Gels containing calcium phosphate particles were prepared in a water-in-oil microemulsion system with a mixture of triblock copolymer pluronic (P123) as a co-surfactant and sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) as a surfactant in cyclohexane. Subsequently, calcium chloride dihydrate and sodium hydrogen phosphate aqueous solutions were added in a water phase. Finally, slow evaporation of the oil phase at room temperature was performed to produce a hybrid gel. The obtained gels were investigated for their toxicity by the sulforhodamine B (SRB) assay and applied on human dentine specimens to examine their ability to occlude dentine tubules. RESULTS: The size and morphology of the calcium phosphate particles embedded in the gel depended on the concentration of P123 and SLS, which were used as a template for mineral precipitation. The prepared calcium phosphate particles (200-500 nm in diameter) with the maximum polymer and surfactant content exhibited spherical shapes. Further, on reducing their content twice and tenfold yields micro-particles with flower-like shapes. These bioactive gels were able to occlude into dentine tubules after 3 days of application with a plugging rate of 79.22% when using the smallest particles. In addition, calcium phosphate nanorods were transformed into dentine tubules with a maximum depth of 6 µm on increasing the amount of gel. CONCLUSIONS: The bioactive gels were effectively used as bioactive fillers to occlude exposed human dentine tubules.