Developmental Defects of Enamel.

Amelogenesis, the intricate process governing enamel formation, is susceptible to a range of genetic, systemic, and environmental influences, resulting in distinct developmental defects of enamel (DDE), such as molar incisor hypomineralisation (MIH), enamel hypoplasia, dental fluorosis, and amelogenesis imperfecta (AI). This chapter aims to provide a comprehensive overview of amelogenesis and DDE, establishing correlations between histopathological findings and clinical manifestations. MIH, a qualitative enamel defect, occurs during the mineralisation and maturation phases, affecting first permanent molars and eventually incisors. Diagnostic challenges in MIH arise from the disorder's unique features, including variable tooth involvement and severity, influenced by a complex interplay of genetic, systemic, and environmental factors. Enamel hypoplasia, a quantitative defect, manifests in any tooth during enamel matrix secretion. Etiological factors include local, systemic, environmental, and genetic influences, with variable enamel matrix abnormalities depending on the stage of amelogenesis when aggression occurred. Dental fluorosis, a toxicological concern from chronic and excessive fluoride exposure, affects ameloblasts and compromises crystal growth of the homologous teeth during enamel development. Lastly, AI, an inherited condition, encompasses diverse phenotypes in enamel development. AI phenotypes, whether hypoplastic or hypomineralised, entail mutations in genes, such as AMELX, ENAM, MMP20, KLK4, WDR72, FAM83H, C4ORF26, amelotin, GPR68, and ACPT. Diagnosing AI involves considering family history and clinical observation. In conclusion, navigating the intricacies of amelogenesis, from MIH to AI, underscores the critical importance of accurate diagnosis for proper clinical management of DDE.

Can the combination of proanthocyanidin and vitamin E or palm oil effectively protect enamel against in vitro erosive and abrasive challenges?

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to assess the effect of proanthocyanidin, palm oil and vitamin E against erosive and erosive+abrasive challenges in vitro after enamel pellicle formation in situ. METHODOLOGY: Bovine enamel blocks (n=84) were obtained and divided into the following treatment groups: negative control (NC) - deionized water; positive control (PC) - SnCl2/NaF/AmF-containing solution; palm oil (PO); 2% proanthocyanidin (P2); vitamin E (VitE); 2% proanthocyanidin+palm oil (P2PO); and 2% proanthocyanidin+vitamin E (P2VitE). For 5 days, one half of the sample from each group was subjected to erosion and the other half was subjected to erosion+abrasion. The acquired enamel pellicle (AEP) was pre-formed in situ for 30 minutes. The specimens were then treated in vitro with solutions (500 µl, 30s for each group). Subsequently, the blocks were left in the oral cavity for another hour to obtain the modified AEP. The blocks were immersed in 0.5% citric acid (pH=2.5) for 90s, 4×/day. AEP formation and treatment were carried out before the first and third erosive challenges, and after these challenges, abrasive cycles (15s) were performed on half of the samples. Enamel wear was quantified by profilometry and data were analyzed by two-way ANOVA and Tukey's test (p<0.05). RESULTS: All groups showed higher wear when exposed to erosion+abrasion than when exposed to erosion alone (p=0.0001). PO, P2VitE, P2, and P2PO showed enamel wear similar to the PC group, but only PC, PO and P2VitE differed from the NC group. The other groups behaved similarly to NC. CONCLUSION: It was concluded that the combination of proanthocyanidin and vitamin E was effective in reducing wear in the face of in vitro erosive and erosive+abrasive challenges.

Can the combination of proanthocyanidin and vitamin E or palm oil effectively protect enamel against in vitro erosive and abrasive challenges?

Abstract Objectives This study aimed to assess the effect of proanthocyanidin, palm oil and vitamin E against erosive and erosive+abrasive challenges in vitro after enamel pellicle formation in situ. Methodology Bovine enamel blocks (n=84) were obtained and divided into the following treatment groups: negative control (NC) - deionized water; positive control (PC) - SnCl2/NaF/AmF-containing solution; palm oil (PO); 2% proanthocyanidin (P2); vitamin E (VitE); 2% proanthocyanidin+palm oil (P2PO); and 2% proanthocyanidin+vitamin E (P2VitE). For 5 days, one half of the sample from each group was subjected to erosion and the other half was subjected to erosion+abrasion. The acquired enamel pellicle (AEP) was pre-formed in situ for 30 minutes. The specimens were then treated in vitro with solutions (500 µl, 30s for each group). Subsequently, the blocks were left in the oral cavity for another hour to obtain the modified AEP. The blocks were immersed in 0.5% citric acid (pH=2.5) for 90s, 4×/day. AEP formation and treatment were carried out before the first and third erosive challenges, and after these challenges, abrasive cycles (15s) were performed on half of the samples. Enamel wear was quantified by profilometry and data were analyzed by two-way ANOVA and Tukey's test (p<0.05). Results All groups showed higher wear when exposed to erosion+abrasion than when exposed to erosion alone (p=0.0001). PO, P2VitE, P2, and P2PO showed enamel wear similar to the PC group, but only PC, PO and P2VitE differed from the NC group. The other groups behaved similarly to NC. Conclusion It was concluded that the combination of proanthocyanidin and vitamin E was effective in reducing wear in the face of in vitro erosive and erosive+abrasive challenges.

Influence of mandibular and palatal intraoral appliances on erosion in situ study outcome.

OBJECTIVE: The standardization of in situ protocols for dental erosion is important to enable comparison between studies.Thus, the objectives of this study were to evaluate the influence of the location of in situ intraoral appliance (mandibular X palatal) on the extent of enamel loss induced by erosive challenges and to evaluate the comfort of the appliances. MATERIAL AND METHODS: One hundred and sixty bovine enamel blocks were selected according to their initial surface hardness and randomly divided into two groups: GI - palatal appliance and GII - mandibular appliance. Twenty volunteers wore simultaneously one palatal appliance (containing 4 enamel blocks) and two mandibular appliances (each one containing 2 enamel blocks). Four times per day during 5 days, the volunteers immersed their appliances in 0.01 M hydrochloric acid for 2 minutes, washed and reinserted them into the oral cavity for 2 hours until the next erosive challenge. After the end of the in situ phase, the volunteers answered a questionnaire regarding the comfort of the appliances. The loss of tissue in the enamel blocks was determined profilometrically. Data were statistically analyzed by paired t-test, Chi-square and Fisher's Exact Test (p<0.05). RESULTS: The enamel blocks allocated in palatal appliances (GI) presented significantly higher erosive wear when compared to the blocks fixed in mandibular appliances (GII). The volunteers reported more comfort when using the palatal appliance. CONCLUSIONS: Therefore, the palatal appliance is more comfortable and resulted in higher enamel loss compared to the mandibular one.

Is the dentifrice containing calcium silicate, sodium phosphate, and fluoride able to protect enamel against chemical mechanical wear? An in situ/ex vivo study.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of a dentifrice that contains calcium silicate, sodium phosphate, and fluoride on erosive-abrasive enamel wear. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This randomized, single-blind in situ/ex vivo study was conducted with four crossover phases of 5 days (one group tested per phase). Bovine enamel blocks (n = 256) were allocated to 16 volunteers and 8 groups. The groups under study were test dentifrice, with calcium silicate, sodium phosphate, and 1450 ppm sodium monofluorophosphate; tin dentifrice, with 3500 ppm stannous chloride, 700 ppm amine fluoride, and 700 ppm sodium fluoride; conventional dentifrice, with 1450 ppm sodium monofluorophosphate; and control (deionized water). Half of the enamel blocks were subjected to erosion and the other half to erosion plus abrasion. The daily extraoral protocol consisted in four citric acid exposures (2 min) and two applications of dentifrice slurry on all blocks for 30 s; after, half of the blocks were brushed for 15 s. The response variable was enamel loss. Data were analyzed by two-way ANOVA and Fisher's test (p < 0.05). RESULTS: For erosion, the test dentifrice promoted less enamel loss than water (4.7 ± 3.1 and 5.8 ± 2.5 µm, respectively, p < 0.05), and did not differ from tin (4.8 ± 2.5 µm) and conventional (4.8 ± 1.4 µm) dentifrices (p > 0.05). However, the test dentifrice (7.7 ± 3.8 µm) promoted higher wear after erosive plus abrasive procedures than tin (5.4 ± 1.5 µm) and conventional (6.2 ± 1.7 µm, p < 0.05) dentifrices, and did not differ from water (6.9 ± 2.0 µm). CONCLUSIONS: The investigated dentifrice reduced enamel loss against acid challenge but had no effect against acid and brushing challenge. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Little is known regarding the preventive effect of dentifrices indicated for dental erosion. The tested anti-erosive dentifrice was unable to protect enamel when erosion was associated to toothbrushing abrasion.

Impact of a simplified in situ protocol on enamel loss after erosive challenge.

This study investigated the effect of the period of use and location of intraoral appliances on enamel surface loss. This randomized, single blind in situ study was conducted in 2 crossover phases based on the period of use, in which maxillary and mandibular appliances were simultaneously worn. Bovine enamel blocks (n = 120) were randomly divided among the studied groups by surface hardness. In each phase, fifteen volunteers used one maxillary appliance and two mandibular appliances for 5 days. Erosive challenge was performed 4X/day by immersion in 0.01 M HCL for 2 minutes. In the continuous phase, the intraoral appliances were worn for 20 hours. In the intermittent phase the appliances were worn for 8 hours and 30 minutes. Enamel loss was determined profilometrically. The discomfort of use of the appliances were evaluated in a questionnaire. Data were analyzed by two-way ANOVA/Tukey's test and chi-square test (p<0.05). The maxillary appliance promoted higher enamel loss compared to the mandibular one (p<0.001). Intermittent use of appliances resulted in similar enamel loss to the continuous one (p = 0.686). All volunteers preferred to use the maxillary appliance in an intermittent regimen. The intermittent use of maxillary appliance is a simplified reliable protocol appropriated for in situ erosion studies in enamel.

Effect of vegetable oils applied over acquired enamel pellicle on initial erosion.

OBJECTIVE: The prevalence of dental erosion has been recently increasing, requiring new preventive and therapeutic approaches. Vegetable oils have been studied in preventive dentistry because they come from a natural, edible, low-cost, and worldwide accessible source. This study aimed to evaluate the protective effect of different vegetable oils, applied in two concentrations, on initial enamel erosion. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Initially, the acquired pellicle was formed in situ for 2 hours. Subsequently, the enamel blocks were treated in vitro according to the study group (n=12/per group): GP5 and GP100 - 5% and pure palm oil, respectively; GC5 and GC100 - 5% and pure coconut oil; GSa5 and GSa100 - 5% and pure safflower oil; GSu5 and GSu100 - 5% and pure sunflower oil; GO5 and GO100 - 5% and pure olive oil; CON- - Deionized Water (negative control) and CON+ - Commercial Mouthwash (Elmex® Erosion Protection Dental Rinse, GABA/positive control). Then, the enamel blocks were immersed in artificial saliva for 2 minutes and subjected to short-term acid exposure in 0.5% citric acid, pH 2.4, for 30 seconds, to promote enamel surface softening. The response variable was the percentage of surface hardness loss [((SHi - SHf) / SHf )×100]. Data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA and Tukey's test (p<0.05). RESULTS: Enamel blocks of GP100 presented similar hardness loss to GSu100 (p>0.05) and less than the other groups (p<0.05). There was no difference between GP5, GC5, GC100, GSa5, GSu100, GSa100, GSu5, GO5, GO100, CON- and CON+. CONCLUSION: Palm oil seems to be a promising alternative for preventing enamel erosion. However, further studies are necessary to evaluate a long-term erosive cycling.

Effect of vegetable oils applied over acquired enamel pellicle on initial erosion

Abstract Objective The prevalence of dental erosion has been recently increasing, requiring new preventive and therapeutic approaches. Vegetable oils have been studied in preventive dentistry because they come from a natural, edible, low-cost, and worldwide accessible source. This study aimed to evaluate the protective effect of different vegetable oils, applied in two concentrations, on initial enamel erosion. Material and Methods Initially, the acquired pellicle was formed in situ for 2 hours. Subsequently, the enamel blocks were treated in vitro according to the study group (n=12/per group): GP5 and GP100 - 5% and pure palm oil, respectively; GC5 and GC100 - 5% and pure coconut oil; GSa5 and GSa100 - 5% and pure safflower oil; GSu5 and GSu100 - 5% and pure sunflower oil; GO5 and GO100 - 5% and pure olive oil; CON− - Deionized Water (negative control) and CON+ - Commercial Mouthwash (Elmex® Erosion Protection Dental Rinse, GABA/positive control). Then, the enamel blocks were immersed in artificial saliva for 2 minutes and subjected to short-term acid exposure in 0.5% citric acid, pH 2.4, for 30 seconds, to promote enamel surface softening. The response variable was the percentage of surface hardness loss [((SHi - SHf) / SHf )×100]. Data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA and Tukey's test (p<0.05). Results Enamel blocks of GP100 presented similar hardness loss to GSu100 (p>0.05) and less than the other groups (p<0.05). There was no difference between GP5, GC5, GC100, GSa5, GSu100, GSa100, GSu5, GO5, GO100, CON− and CON+. Conclusion Palm oil seems to be a promising alternative for preventing enamel erosion. However, further studies are necessary to evaluate a long-term erosive cycling.

Delayed Treatment of Traumatized Primary Teeth with Distinct Pulp Response: Follow-Up until Permanent Successors Eruption.

Complicated crown fracture and crown-root fracture with pulp involvement expose dental pulp to the oral environment. The pulp outcome is often unpredictable because the patient and injury which are related to variables can influence the treatment of choice and the prognosis of the case. This report presents the case of a 4-year-old boy with complicated crown fracture with pulp polyp in the primary right maxillary central incisor (51) and crown-root fracture with pulp involvement in the primary left maxillary central incisor (61), which was treated only 3 months after the tooth injuries. The treatment of choice was extraction of tooth (61) due to a periapical lesion with disruption of the dental follicle of the permanent successor and pulpotomy (MTA) of the tooth (51), because the pulp presented signs of vitality. At the follow-up visits, no clinical, symptomalogical, and radiographic changes were observed until the primary tooth's exfoliation. However, at 3-year follow-up, the permanent successors showed hypocalcification and the position of the permanent right maxillary central incisors (11) was altered. Besides the conservative and adequate delayed treatment, the sequelae on the permanent successors could not be avoided.

In situ effect of enamel salivary exposure time and type of intraoral appliance before an erosive challenge.

OBJECTIVES: This study tested the effect of enamel salivary exposure time prior to an acid challenge (30 min, 1, 2, or 12 h) and type of intraoral appliance (palatal or mandibular) on initial erosion. METHODS: After initial surface hardness evaluation, enamel blocks (n = 340) were randomly divided into groups and volunteers (n = 20). The control group was not exposed to saliva previously to the erosive challenge. The volunteers wore palatal and mandibular appliances simultaneously. After salivary exposure, the blocks were subjected to acid exposure by immersion in hydrochloric acid (0.01 M, pH 2.3) for 30 s. Then, the enamel surface hardness was evaluated. Data were analyzed using ANOVA, Kruskal-Wallis and Tukey's test (p < 0.05). RESULTS: No difference was observed on percent surface hardness change (% SHC) in the enamel blocks between the types of intraoral appliances. Exposure to saliva for 30 min and 1 h promoted similar enamel resistance to the erosive attack, which was similar to the control group for both appliances. Blocks exposed to saliva for 2 h showed less hardness loss when compared to 30 min. Keeping the blocks in saliva during 12-h overnight resulted in similar percentage of enamel hardness loss compared to 2 h. CONCLUSIONS: A 2-hour in situ exposure to saliva is adequate to promote partial protection against initial erosive lesions, independently of the type of intraoral appliance used. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: This finding will help researchers in the development of erosion studies, which will provide information for dentists to offer a better treatment for erosion.

Impact of Saliva and Intraoral Appliance on Erosion Lesions Rehardening Ability - A Pilot Study

Objective: To evaluate the ability of different periods of salivary exposure and two different removable appliances to rehardening initial erosive lesions. Material and Methods: This randomized, single blind in situ study was conducted with 2 crossover phases. The factors under study were: period of salivary exposure (15 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour and 2 hours) and type of oral appliance (maxillary or mandibular). Two hundred enamel blocks were selected by initial surface hardness (SHi). Enamel blocks were demineralized in vitro (0.05M citric acid; pH2.5 for 15 seconds), surface hardness (SHd) was remeasured and 160 blocks were selected and randomized among groups. Thus, there were 2 blocks per period of salivary exposure in each type of oral appliance for each one of the 10 volunteers. In each phase, one of the removable appliances was tested. The response variable was percentage of surface hardness recovery (%SHR=[(SHf-SHd)/SHi)]x100). Two-way ANOVA and Tukey's post hoc test were applied adopting 5% of significance. Results: No difference was found among oral appliances on enamel rehardening (p>0.01). Salivary exposure of 2 hours promoted similar enamel rehardening when compared to 1 hour (p>0.05), which showed similar rehardening to 30 min. All mentioned period of salivary exposure promoted superior rehardening than 15 min (p>0.01). Conclusion: The salivary time exposure between erosive attacks might be 2 hours to achieve a feasible maximum rehardening. In addition, both maxillary and the mandibular appliance have presented a similar rehardening ability.

Penetration of resin-based materials into initial erosion lesion: A confocal microscopic study.

The application of resin-based materials is an alternative of treatment for eroded lesions. Nevertheless, there are no studies about the penetration of these materials into eroded lesion, which might affect its adhesion. Therefore, this study evaluated the penetration of four resin-based materials, with and without enamel etching. By using an in vitro protocol, types of treatment were studied at five levels (AdheSE(®) , Tetric N-Bond(®) , Single Bond 2(®) , Helioseal Clear(®) , Icon(®) ) and types of enamel etching in two levels (with and without). Materials were stained with 0.02 mg/mL ethanolic solution of tetramethylrhodamine isothiocyanate. Bovine enamel samples (4 × 4 mm) were immersed in 0.01 M HCl, pH 2.3, for 30 seconds to produce initial eroded lesions. Afterward, the materials were applied on half of sample enamel surface following the manufacturer's instructions. On the other half of sample, the materials were applied without etching the enamel. Materials penetration into the enamel was assessed by Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy on reflection and fluorescence modes. The penetration depth (PD) was measured using ImageJ software. Data were analyzed by two-way ANOVA and Tukey test (P < 0.05). Regardless of the material, etched enamel resulted in higher PD than non-etched (P < 0.05). Icon(®) showed the highest PD in enamel followed by Helioseal Clear(®) (P < 0.05), with significant difference between them (P < 0.05) and no difference was found among AdheSE(®) , Tetric N-Bond(®) , and Single Bond 2(®) (P > 0.05). It can be concluded that prior enamel etching increased the materials penetration into eroded enamel and the Icon(®) -infiltrant presented highest penetration.

Changes in Oral Health-related Behavior of Infants following a Preventive Program of Continuing Education Directed to their Parents

To evaluate changes in oral health-related behavior of infants following preventive program of continuing education directed to their parents.Material and Methods:We analyzed 53 dental files of infants aged up to 36 months, who participated in the Prevention and Education Program of the Infants Clinic, School of Dentistry of Bauru (USP), and attended at least 2 visits with a maximum of 4 missing appointments. Initially an educational lecture was conducted, pointing issues related to diet and oral hygiene. At the following visit, the professional filled in a form with questions about diet and hygiene performed at home. The following information was extracted from dental files: reason of the first visit, age, number of teeth, number of visits, missing appointments, and dietary and oral hygiene risk factors. The data were tabulated and analyzed using descriptive statistics comparing the information obtained from the first visit to that of the last one.Results:The reason for the first visit was dental caries prevention (88.68%) followed by dental trauma (7.55%), and needed of curative treatment (3.77%). The mean age of the sample was 14.85 months, the tooth number mean was 12.64 at first visit, the mean number of visits was 7 and the mean missing appointments was 0.83. The percentage of infants with inadequate diet and hygiene habits was 88.68% and 62.26%, and only 12.762% and 57.57% of these have changed their habits, respectively.Conclusion:After the preventive program of continuing education, the dietary habits showed were more difficult to change in relation to hygiene ones...

Penetração de materiais resinosos em lesões de erosão, com e sem condicionamento prévio do esmalte: estudo in vitro / Resin based materials penetration in eroded lesions, with and without enamel conditioning: an in vitro study

Uma alternativa de tratamento para as lesões iniciais de erosão é a aplicação de materiais resinosos. Porém, não há estudos que avaliem a penetração desses materiais no interior da lesão de erosão, o que poderia interferir em sua adesão e efeito. Portanto, o objetivo do presente estudo foi avaliar a penetração do infiltrante, adesivos e selante de fossas e fissuras, sobre lesões iniciais de erosão, com e sem condicionamento da superfície de esmalte. Utilizando um protocolo in vitro, foram estudados os tipos de tratamento em 5 níveis (Adhese^®- sistema adesivo autocondicionante de 2 passos, Tetric N-Bond^®- sistema adesivo convencional de 2 passos, Single Bond^®- sistema adesivo convencional de 2 passos, Helioseal Clear^®- selante resinoso e Icon^®- infiltrante) e o tipo de condicionamento do esmalte em 2 níveis (com e sem). Os materiais foram corados com 0,02 mg/ml de solução etanólica de isotiocianato de tetrametilrodamina. Para o desenvolvimento da lesão inicial de erosão, 75 blocos de esmalte bovino (4 x 4 mm) foram imersos em HCl 0,01 M, pH 2,3, durante 30 segundos. Posteriormente, em metade da superfície dos blocos foram aplicados os materiais (marcados com rodamina), seguindo as instruções dos fabricantes. Na outra metade, os materiais foram aplicados da mesma forma, mas sem o condicionamento prévio do esmalte. Os blocos foram avaliados por Microscopia Confocal de Varredura a Laser nos modos de reflexão e fluorescência. Nas imagens geradas foram mensuradas a profundidade de desmineralização, a penetração e a espessura dos materiais, por meio do software ImageJ. Os dados foram analisados pelo teste ANOVA a dois critérios e teste de Tukey (p<0,05). Independentemente do material utilizado, o condicionamento do esmalte resultou em maior profundidade de desmineralização, penetração e espessura dos materiais, do que a situação sem condicionamento (p<0,05). A profundidade de desmineralização...

The application of resin based materials is an alternative of treatment for eroded lesions. Nevertheless, there are no studies about the penetration of these materials into eroded lesion, which might affect its adhesion and effect. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the penetration of infiltrant, adhesives and pit and fissure sealant on initial eroded lesion, with and without prior enamel surface conditioning. By using an in vitro protocol, types of treatment were studied at 5 levels (AdheSE,sup>®- two-steps self-etching adhesive system, Tetric N-Bond^®- two-steps conventional adhesive system, Single Bond^® - two-steps conventional adhesive system, Helioseal Clear^®- resin sealant and Icon^®-infiltrant) and type of enamel conditioning in two levels (with and without). The materials were stained with 0.02 mg/ml ethanolic solution of tetramethylrhodamine isothiocyanate. Bovine enamel samples (4 x 4 mm) were immersed in 0.01 M HCl, pH 2.0, for 30 seconds in order to produce initial eroded lesions. Afterwards, the materials (previously marked with rhodamine) were applied on half of sample enamel surface following the manufacturers instructions. On the other half of sample enamel surface, the materials were applied following the same instructions but without prior enamel surface conditioning. The enamel samples were evaluated by Confocal Laser Scanning Microscope using reflection and fluorescence modes. Depth of demineralization, depth of penetration and thickness of the materials were measured using ImageJ software. Data were analyzed by two-way ANOVA and Tukey test (p<0.05). Regardless of the material, enamel conditioning resulted in higher depth of demineralization, depth of penetration and material thickness than without conditioning (p<0.05). Depth of demineralization was similar on the materials (p>0.05), except Icon^® (higher demineralization) compared to AdheSE^® (p<0.05)...