Introduction: The early stages of dental caries involve enamel demineralization which can be reversed. Attempts have been made to develop new materials to remineralize enamel.
Objectives: To assess remineralizing effect of self-assembling peptide P11-4 and casein phosphopeptide-amorphous calcium phosphate fluoride(CPP-ACPF) in comparison to sodium fluoride varnish on early carious lesions in primary teeth.
Materials and methods: Thirty-six sound-extracted primary anterior teeth were used. A 4x4mm window was made in the middle of the labial surface of each tooth. Teeth were subjected to artificial demineralization and then randomly allocated into 3 groups: Group I(5%NaF varnish), Group II(CPP-ACPF varnish) and Group III(self-assembling peptide P11-4). Teeth were sectioned longitudinally into two halves. One half was treated by the remineralizing agent, and the other was left untreated as a negative control. Samples were subjected to elemental analysis to evaluate the changes in Ca and P content using Energy Dispersive X-ray spectrometer(EDX) and to assess the surface topography by Scanning-Electron-Microscope(SEM).
Results: There was a significant difference in the mineral content within each group before and after treatment indicating remineralization in all groups. The percent increase in Ca/P ratio after treatment was higher in self-assembling peptide P11-4 group than other groups with no significant difference between groups. Surface topography showed improvement in all groups with better surface quality in self-assembling peptide P11-4 group than other groups.
Conclusion: The CPP-ACPF varnish, Self-assembling peptide P11-4 and 5% Sodium fluoride varnish are effective in restoring the mineral content and improving surface morphology of early carious lesions in primary teeth.