Enhancing of teeth remineralization by electric field aid (in vitro study)

Abstract

One of the major challenges in teeth remineralization is the slow rate of mineralization. In this study, an electric-field-aided mineralization system was developed for rapidly regenerating teeth-like structures rapidly. The efficacy of application of an electric field combined with nano-chitosan gel, casein phosphopeptide–amorphous calcium phosphate gel and their mixture was investigated as a remineralizing accelerator for artificially demineralized teeth. Teeth samples were demineralized by using ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid and subsequently subjected to treatment with each gel alone and in combination with an electric field (20 mA, 5 min). The structural analyses of the teeth samples were performed by using a scanning electron microscope and X-ray diffraction patterns, and their hardness was obtained through Vickers microhardness tests. The results revealed that the addition of chitosan to casein phosphopeptide–amorphous calcium phosphate enhanced the remineralization of the tooth structure compared with using each one individually. Furthermore, the application of an electric field enhanced teeth hardness and showed the highest rate of remineralization. In conclusion, the proposed technique could be safely used to reduce the time consumed in remineralization and it may be used efficiently to increase tooth quality. It is suggested to study other biophysical parameters of using electric fields for in vivo applications.