ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the remineralization effect of Ca(OH)2 pre-treated with carboxylmodified polyamidoamine dendrimer (PAMAM) on demineralized dentin.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Thirty-two demineralized dentin models were divided into four groups randomly as follows: control group with no treatment, Ca(OH)2 group pretreated with Ca(OH)2 solution, PAMAM group processed with carboxyl-modified PAMAM, and PAMAM+Ca(OH)2 group processed with carboxyl-modified PAMAM and pretreated with Ca(OH)2 solution. All samples were immersed in artificial saliva for two weeks. The remineralization effects of dentin discs were evaluated by scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD).</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Observed by the SEM, it was showed that in PAMAM+Ca(OH)2 group almost all the dentinal tubules were occluded by the minerals, however this was not found in other groups. The minerals proved were hydroxyapatite through EDS and XRD tests.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>There was potential superiority of the carboxyl-modified PAMAM with Ca(OH)2 solution in promoting the remineralization of initial dentin lesions.</p>