Chemical crystal aspects of remineralization of dental enamel

Incipient dental caries at the stage of demineralization is reversible, and remineralization can be achieved by the help of locally applied fluorides. In crystalchemical experiments, however by treating natural apatites with lanthanides Ce, La, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Tb...Y, Sc, a more resistant complex could be developed. In this study extracted human molar teeth were kept for 60 days in Cerium (III)-nitrate solution, in order to investigate the incorporation of Ce3+ into human sound and carious enamel by light-microscopic-, and electronmicroprobe methods. Ce3+ was incorporated in sound enamel as well as into the incipient carious lesions, showing the histological characteristics of a remineralizing lesion. The mean values of the microprobe analysis data showed an increase in Ce3+ changing place with the Ca2+, the developing cerium-apatite being more hard an resistant from a mineralo-physical point of view.