Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Sep 1;13(9):e849-e858.
doi: 10.4317/jced.58025. eCollection 2021 Sep.

Enamel remineralization and surface roughness after treatment with herbal-containing toothpastes

Letícia-Vendrametto Forcin  1 , Thales-de Sá Oliveira  2 , Pedro-Luiz-Santos Tomaz  2 , Marcelo-Henrick-Maia Matochek  2 , Mackeler-Ramos Polassi  2 , Fabiano-Vieira Vilhena  2 , Nádia-da Rocha Svizero  1 , Paulo-Henrique-Perlatti D'Alpino  2
Affiliations

Enamel remineralization and surface roughness after treatment with herbal-containing toothpastes

Letícia-Vendrametto Forcin et al. J Clin Exp Dent. .

Abstract

Background: Oral care products containing bioactive agents obtained from extracts of plant drugs were launched. This in vitro study investigated the effects of herbal-containing toothpastes associated or not with fluoride to remineralize the enamel after cariogenic challenge with pH cycling. The chemical and physical factors of toothpastes and the enamel surface roughness after brushing were also analyzed.

Material and methods: Sixty bovine enamel blocks were obtained and divided into 3 thirds: intact (untreated), demineralized (artificial caries lesion), and treated (caries lesion, pH cycling, and brushing with toothpastes). Toothpastes containing herbal compounds contained no fluoride [Galla chinensis (GCH)], low-F concentration [D'Or (DOR); Herbal Bliss (HBL)], or a different fluoride type [Elmex Anticaries (EAC)]. The results were compared to NaF-containing toothpastes: 1450 and 5000 ppm. Enamel blocks were brushed with the toothpastes using a pH-cycling model (7 days). The Knoop hardness (25g/10s) of the surface and the longitudinal sections were then evaluated. The percentage of surface hardness recovery (%SHR) was calculated. The enamel surface roughness, pH, particle size, zeta potential, and polydispersity index of toothpaste slurries were also evaluated. Data were statistically analyzed (α=5%).

Results: No significance was observed when %SHR was compared (p>0.05). DOR, GCH, and HBL were more effective in remineralizing the enamel subsurface. Significantly higher surface roughness was observed when treated with EAC and GCH (p<0.05).

Conclusions: All toothpastes were able to remineralize the enamel, especially the subsurface, with results equal or better than that of standard toothpastes. Key words:Enamel, hardness, roughness, toothpaste, tooth remineralization.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of interest The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Cross-sectional hardness (means) at different depths in enamel blocks as a function of the enamel third (intact, demineralized, and remineralized). The bars denote standard deviations.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Representative photomicrographs (SEM analysis) of the demineralized (left) and remineralized, treated thirds (right). 5.000x magnification.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Representative photomicrophaph of the organic pellicle formed after application of Galla chinensis-containing dentifrice. 100x magnification.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Walsh T, Worthington HV, Glenny AM, Appelbe P, Marinho VC, Shi X. Fluoride toothpastes of different concentrations for preventing dental caries in children and adolescents. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2010;20:CD007868. - PubMed
    1. Volponi AA, Zaugg LK, Neves V, Liu Y, Sharpe PT. Tooth repair and regeneration. Curr Oral Health Rep. 2018;5:295–303. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Xiao Z, Que K, Wang H, An R, Chen Z, Qiu Z. Rapid biomimetic remineralization of the demineralized enamel surface using nano-particles of amorphous calcium phosphate guided by chimaeric peptides. Dent Mater. 2017;33:1217–28. - PubMed
    1. Cury JA, Tenuta LM. Evidence-based recommendation on toothpaste use. Braz oral res. 2014;28:1–7. - PubMed
    1. Tomaz PLS, Sousa LA, Aguiar KF, Oliveira TS, Matochek MHM, Polassi MR. Effects of 1450-ppm fluoride-containing toothpastes associated with boosters on the enamel remineralization and surface roughness after cariogenic challenge. Eur J Dent. 2020;14:161–70. - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources