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. 2012 May;16(2):222-7.
doi: 10.4103/0973-029X.99070.

Evaluation and comparison of decalcification agents on the human teeth

Karpagaselvi Sanjai  1 , Jayalakshmi Kumarswamy, Archana Patil, Lokesh Papaiah, Srinivas Jayaram, Lakshmi Krishnan
Affiliations

Evaluation and comparison of decalcification agents on the human teeth

Karpagaselvi Sanjai et al. J Oral Maxillofac Pathol. 2012 May.

Abstract

Context: In routine histopathology, decalcification of bone and teeth is often an essential and important step during tissue processing. Various decalcifying agents have been used in the past. The rate of decalcification and the effect of decalcifying agents on the tissue and its staining characteristics are two important parameters which influence the selection of decalcifying solutions. Though some agents remove the calcium ions completely and rapidly, they adversely affect the staining characteristics and may also damage the organic components. There have been very few studies which have systematically evaluated the efficacy of these agents in decalcifying dental hard tissues.

Aims: The present study was done to evaluate the rate of decalcification of six different decalcifying agents and also their effect on staining characteristics on dental hard tissues.

Materials and methods: Six decalcifying agents namely, neutral ethylene diamine tetra acetic acid (EDTA) decalcifying solution, 5% nitric acid, Perenyi's fluid, formalin-nitric acid, 5% trichloracetic acid, and 10% formic acid were used to decalcify 24 natural teeth (four in each solution). The endpoint of decalcification was evaluated by radiographic and chemical methods. The decalcified teeth were then routinely processed, sectioned, and stained with hematoxylin and eosin stains.

Results: Neutral EDTA was the most considerate to the soft and hard tissues and 5% nitric acid was the least considerate to the tooth structure.

Conclusions: Neutral EDTA, though being the slowest decalcifying agent among the six agents used in the study, gave excellent results for soft-tissue integrity, and best quality of both soft-tissue and hard-tissue stainings.

Keywords: 10% formic acid; 5% nitric acid; 5% trichloracetic acid; Perenyi's fluid; formalin–nitric acid; neutral EDTA decalcifying solution; pulp tissue integrity; teeth decalcification.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Radiograph of a molar decalcified using neutral EDTA at the end of 91 days, before processing
Graph 1
Graph 1
Time in days taken for decalcification
Graph 2
Graph 2
Soft-tissue integrity of the various decalcifying agents
Figure 2
Figure 2
Tooth decalcified using neutral EDTA decalcifying solution under high power
Figure 3
Figure 3
5% Nitric acid decalcified tooth in low power
Graph 3
Graph 3
Staining characteristics of the different decalcifying agents
Figure 4
Figure 4
High-power view of a tooth decalcified in 5% Trichloroacetic acid
Figure 5
Figure 5
Tooth decalcified using Perenyi's fluid under low power
Figure 6
Figure 6
10% Formic acid decalcified tooth in low power
Figure 7
Figure 7
Low-power view of a tooth decalcified in formic acid-nitric acid solution
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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