ABSTRACT

Objectives: To compare the remineralizing capability of three readily available commercial herbal nanohydroxyapatite toothpastes on early human enamel carious lesions using a PH cycling model. Materials & Methods: Thirty-two caries-free extracted human maxillary central incisors were sectioned cervically about 2mm below cementoenamel junction. Carious-like lesions were induced by immersing the crowns of the samples in acidified gel for 7 days. Samples were then divided into 4 groups (8 samples each); in group I, samples were brushed with BOKA Ela Mint toothpaste, in group II, they were brushed with BOKA Coco Ginger toothpaste, in group III, samples were brushed with BOKA Lemon Lavender toothpaste, and in group IV (control) samples were stored in artificial saliva. The brushing time was 2 minutes twice daily. Using artificial saliva, a pH cycling model was used to simulate remineralization for 45 days. The enamel surfaces of samples were subjected to surface microhardness (SMH) test with a Vickers hardness tester, and the average Ca level was analyzed using energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). The measurements were done before and after demineralization, and after remineralization. One-way ANOVA, Tukey's test, and paired T-test (P<0.05) were used for analyzing the data. Results: All treatments effectively remineralized the early human enamel carious lesions. BOKA Ela Mint toothpaste showed the maximum increase in SMH and Ca level deposition, while BOKA Lemon Lavender toothpaste showed the lowest. Conclusion: Nanohydroxyapatite toothpastes may be the optimal for bio‌mimetic remineralization of early human enamel carious lesions. Keywords: Biomimetic Remineralization, Nanohydroxyapatite, Herbal Toothpastes, Enamel Carious Lesions.