Study regarding the capacity of self-assembling peptides to remineralize the acute and chronic incipient caries lesions

Abstract

The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of biomimetic self assembling peptides (P11 -4) on remineralization of acute and chronic incipient enamel lesions by microhardness analysis. Ten extracted permanent human teeth having incipient white spot lesions and ten extracted teeth with brown spot lesions on proximal surfaces were included in this study. Half of the extern surface of the lesions was covered with flowable composite resin (Vertise flow, Kerr Corporation) and served as negative control site. On the other half Curodont™ Protect gel (Credentis AG, Windisch, Switzerland) was applied 2 times a week, 8 weeks (study). The teeth were cut mesio-distally using diamond disks under cooling water, perpendicularly to the extern surface of the lesions, in order that both areas (negative control and study) to be evaluated. The opposite proximal sound enamel on each section served as positive control. The subsurface microhardness of the enamel samples was determined using digital microhardness tester (MicroVickers Hardness System CV- 400DMTM, CV Instruments Namicon). On horizontal tooth sections indentations were made at 25µm (A1), 75 µm (A2), 125 µm (A3), 175 µm (A4), 225 µm (A5), and 275 µm (A6) bellow the extern surface of the lesions. For white spot and brown spot caries lesions, in both negative control and study groups, the VHN values increased from A1 to A6 areas. In study group VHN values were higher than in negative control group irrespective of the area of examination. The lowest VHN value was registered in negative control A1 area and the highest in study group A6 area. In all six areas of investigation, VHN values in negative control and study groups were lower than the values in positive control group. The use of self-assembling peptides on white spot and brown spot caries lesions increase the hardness of these lesions in the deeper layers of the lesions.