Demineralization of drinking water: Is it prudent?

Water is the elixir of life. The requirement of water for very existence of life and preservation of health has driven man to devise methods for maintaining its purity and wholesomeness. The water can get contaminated, polluted and become a potential hazard to human health. Water in its purest form devoid of natural minerals can also be the other end of spectrum where health could be adversely affected. Limited availability of fresh water and increased requirements has led to an increased usage of personal, domestic and commercial methods of purification of water. Desalination of saline water where fresh water is in limited supply has led to development of the latest technology of reverse osmosis but is it going to be safe to use such demineralized water over a long duration needs to be debated and discussed.     

Demineralization effects of 10 percent carbamide peroxide

Objectives: The purpose of this in vitro study was to measure the amount of calcium lost from enamel exposed to a 10% carbamide peroxide solution.

Methods: Nine teeth (3 incisors, 2 premolars, 4 molars) were sectioned to serve as paired test and control specimens. Each tooth half was coated with wax, leaving a uniform 3 mm × 4 mm window of exposed enamel. Test specimens were placed in culture tubes with 1.00 ml of deionized water and 0.02 ml of 10% carbamide peroxide for 6 h; controls were exposed to water alone. Calcium concentrations in the solutions were measured using a Perkin-Elmer 5100 atomic absorption spectrophotometer.

Results: Teeth exposed to carbamide peroxide lost an average of 1.06 μg/mm² of calcium. This amount of loss was significantly greater than controls (p < 0.001), according to ANOVA. For comparison, teeth were exposed to a cola beverage for 2.5 min, the time equivalent of drinking a 16 oz. beverage. The amount of calcium lost from these teeth was also about 1 μg/mm².

Conclusions: Teeth exposed to 10% carbamide peroxide lost calcium. However, the amount of loss was small, and may not be clinically significant.     

Fluor Protector对饮料所致牙釉质脱矿的抑制作用

目的　研究 Fluor Protector对饮料导致牙釉质脱矿的抑制作用。方法　将牛牙齿标本分成实验组和对照组 ,实验组在 Fluor Protector预处理釉质后用不同种类饮料处理 ,对照组不经 Fluor Protector处理而直接用饮料处理。饮料的处理为 5分钟 /次 ,10次 /天 ,处理 7天以后 ,分别用肉眼和扫描电镜观察牙釉质表面发生的改变。结果　肉眼观察发现无论是实验组还是对照组 ,有色饮料均能导致牙釉质表面颜色发生改变 ,均能使牙釉质脱矿 ,表现为釉质呈不同程度的白垩色改变。扫描电镜观察发现 ,对照组除去离子水外 ,牙釉质的超微结构均发生改变 ,表现为牙釉柱中心晶体、釉柱间隔有不同程度的溶解 ,而实验组则表现出较明显的抑制作用。结论　 FluorProtector具有明显的抑制饮料脱矿的作用     

Dolomite as a possible magnesium-containing phase in human tooth enamel

Summary A solid-state chemical model is derived to estimate the solubility of dolomites having different degrees of cation ordering. It is shown that the solubility of dolomites formed by precipitation at ordinary temperatures is such that it allows for the formation of dolomite in tooth enamel duringin vivo mineralization.     

Demineralization of bone matrix: Observations from electron microscope and electron-probe analysis

Displacement or removal of mineral during the processing of calcified tissues for electron microscopy is a recognized phenomenon. An electron microscope analysis has been made of artefactual mineral loss during ultramicrotomy of osteogenic tissue. It is concluded from morphological investigation and the use of electron diffraction that this loss of crystalline mineral during sectioning can considerably change the morphology of calcified tissues and may lead to inaccurate interpretation of cell and matrix morphology. Electron probe X-ray microanalysis has been used to demonstrate in a semi-quantitative manner, the artefactual loss of calcium and phosphorus. Problems of specimen preparation for such analytical work are discussed.     

The efficacy of techniques for the disinfection of artificial sub-surface dentinal caries lesions and their effect on demineralization and remineralization in vitro

OBJECTIVES: The efficacy of three techniques for the disinfection of artificial sub-surface root caries lesions and their response to subsequent episodes of de- and remineralization was investigated quantitatively in vitro. METHODS: Sub-surface dentinal lesions (n=20), cut into four experimental blocks and deliberately contaminated with Streptococcus mutans, were subject to either steam autoclaving (121 degrees C, 5min), gamma irradiation (4100Gy), immersion in 0.1% (w/v) thymol-distilled water solution (24h) or reserved as a control. Next, the lesions were incubated aerobically in sterile nutrient broth for 24h at 37 degrees C and resultant cultures plated onto blood agar and neutralisation agar. Ten blocks from each experimental group were then immersed in an acidic buffer solution or exposed to artificial saliva for 5 days. Baseline changes in the mineral content and distribution of the lesions were assessed by transverse microradiography (TMR). RESULTS: Micro-organisms were recovered from each control block and one block treated by gamma irradiation. Steam autoclaving and immersion in a thymol solution significantly decreased (p<0.05) the amount of mineral lost from the body of lesions subject to a further acid challenge. Mineral ion uptake by lesions exposed to artificial saliva was significantly increased (p<0.05) through disinfection by steam autoclaving. CONCLUSIONS: Gamma irradiation proved the most acceptable method for the disinfection of sub-surface root dentine lesions having the least adverse effect on demineralization and remineralization.     

Effect of ethylene oxide sterilization on enamel and dentin demineralization in vitro

For in situ studies into caries prevention, sterilization of tooth samples is essential. However, sterilization may influence the caries process itself. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of sterilising sound human enamel and dentin with ethylene oxide on lesion depth and mineral loss before and after in vitro demineralization. Lesion depth and mineral loss were measured using transversal microradiography (TMR). The experiment was carried out with 32 enamel and 32 dentin samples. We found a significant reduction of lesion depth due to sterilization in demineralized enamel (-9.8microm; 95% CI: -15.1 to -4.4microm). The small effect of sterilization on demineralized enamel is considered to be irrelevant for in situ studies of de- and remineralization.     

Rehardening of acid-softened enamel and prevention of enamel softening through CO2 laser irradiation

Objectives

The aims of the present study were to investigate whether irradiation with a CO₂ laser could prevent surface softening (i) in sound and (ii) in already softened enamel in vitro.

Methods

130 human enamel samples were obtained and polished with silicon carbide papers. They were divided into 10 groups (n = 13) receiving 5 different surface treatments: laser irradiation (L), fluoride (AmF/NaF gel) application (F), laser prior to fluoride (LF), fluoride prior to laser (FL), non-treated control (C); and submitted to 2 different procedures: half of the groups was acid-softened before surface treatment and the other half after. Immersion in 1% citric acid was the acid challenge. Surface microhardness (SMH) was measured at baseline, after softening and after treatment. Additionally, fluoride uptake in the enamel was quantified. The data were statistically analysed by two-way repeated measurements ANOVA and post hoc comparisons at 5% significance level.

Results

When softening was performed either before or after laser treatment, the L group presented at the end of the experiments SMH means that were not significantly different from baseline (p = 0.8432, p = 0.4620). Treatment after softening resulted for all laser groups in statistically significant increase in SMH means as compared to values after softening (p < 0.0001). Enamel fluoride uptake was significantly higher for combined laser-fluoride treatment than in control (p < 0.0001).

Conclusion

Irradiation of dental enamel with a CO₂ laser at 0.3 J/cm² (5 μs, 226 Hz) not only significantly decreased erosive mineral loss (97%) but also rehardened previously softened enamel in vitro.     

Zinc reduces collagen degradation in demineralized human dentin explants

Objectives

Dentin matrix metalloproteinases are implicated in the pathogenesis of caries and contribute to collagen degradation in resin-dentin interfaces. The objective was to determine if collagen degradation may be modulated by an excess of zinc or zinc chelators.

Methods

Mineralized and phosphoric acid demineralized human dentin specimens were tested. Chlorhexidine digluconate, doxycycline or ZnCl₂ were added to the media. In half of the groups, active exogenous metalloproteinase-2 was incorporated into the solution. C-terminal telopeptide determinations (radioimmunoassay) were performed after 24 h, 1 and 3 weeks.

Results

Collagen degradation was prominent in demineralized dentin. Doxycycline fully blocked dentin proteolysis. Chlorhexidine digluconate reduced the degradation at the 24-h period. Zinc in excess strongly inhibits hydrolysis of collagen and its effect was maintained for 3 weeks.

Conclusions

Zinc in excess reduces MMP-mediated collagen degradation. The hypothesis that binding of zinc to collagen results in protection of sensitive cleavage sites of metalloproteinases requires further validation.     

Effect of low level fluoride on demineralization kinetics of human dental enamel

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of fluoride levels similar to those reported for saliva from low fluoridated and high fluoridated water areas on the demineralization of human permanent enamel. An adaptation of the method described by Robinson et al. was used. Sections of sound enamel were immersed in a vial containing demineralizing solution [2.0 mM Ca(NO₃)₂, 1.2 mM KHPO₄ in 50 mM acetic acid, pH 4.8] for 1 hour. The demineralizing solution contained 0, 0.02 or 0.05 ppm fluoride, added as NaF was prepared. Twenty microliters aliquots were taken from the demineralizing solution at the time point up to 1 hour, with a sampling frequency bias towards the early time point. The phosphate content of the removed sample was determined by colorimetry. When the mineral loss curves for fluoridated and non-fluoridated demineralizing solutions were compared, there were significant differences between both groups. There was a decrease in the net mineral loss when fluoride was used. This result suggested that salivary fluoride levels of 0.02 ppm and 0.05 ppm had a protective effect against demineralization.