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. 2025 Jun 27:22:25.
doi: 10.4103/drj.drj_604_24. eCollection 2025.

The impact of airflow on enamel surface roughness and color change

Azam Valian  1 , Zahra Jaberi Ansari  1 , Mohammadmoein Rezaei  2
Affiliations

The impact of airflow on enamel surface roughness and color change

Azam Valian et al. Dent Res J (Isfahan). .

Abstract

Background: In dentistry, esthetic restorations are vital. Adequate polishing can minimize color changes of a tooth. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the Prophy-Mate neo device, which uses airflow, on surface roughness and color changes in enamel.

Materials and methods: In this in-vitro study included 30 teeth immersed in tea solution for 7 days. The specimens were divided into three groups based on the polishing procedure (airflow with calcium carbonate, airflow with sodium bicarbonate, and diamond paste). The whitening procedure was performed according to the instructions for each powder of airflow (Prophy-Mate neo, NSK, Japan) and paste. After polishing, the specimens were again immersed in a tea solution for another 7 days. Color assessment was carried out at baseline (T1) and after polishing (T2) using the CIELab* system. In addition, the morphology of the enamel surface for each specimen from each group was evaluated by profilometer at T1 and T2, and the paired t-test and Tukey's were used to compare results between groups.

Results: The variation in surface roughness (Ra) between calcium carbonate (0.381 μm) and sodium bicarbonate (0.447 μm) powders was not significant, but the performance of diamond paste was significantly better. The difference between the secondary staining after polishing was lower than the pigment absorption in the primary staining (before polishing) in the diamond paste group.

Conclusion: Overall, the study did not show any significant reduction in the amount of surface roughness and color changes in airflow compared to traditional polishing methods. The cost and services of the Prophy-Mate neo device make it challenging to introduce airflow as an alternative to conventional techniques (P<0.05).

Keywords: Airflow; enamel; polish; surface roughness.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors of this manuscript declare that they have no conflicts of interest, real or perceived, financial or non-financial in this article.

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