Original scientific paper
An electron microscopic study of initial carious manifestations on the surface of human enamel in vivo
Tonči Staničić
; School of Dental Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Marijan Tuđa
; »Chromos«, kem ijski istraživački centar, Zagreb, Hrvatska
Jozo Šutalo
; School of Dental Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
Intact enamel of 18 impacted third permanent lower molars, tha had
not been in contact with oral cariogenic factors until extraction, was used to study in vivo the earliest carious manifestations, a stage preceding the clinical-histological occurrence of the so-called »white spot«. After removal of dental plaque and disinfection, each buccal surface was out into five segments, one used as a control specimen, and four fixed into the grooves of the volunteers’ partial prostheses. The specimens were left in the volunteers' mouth during 7, 14, 21 and 28 days, exposed to the action of cariogenic factors. After removal of the prostheses and plaque, the specimens were broken to halves and prepared for evaluation under a scanning electron microscope. Evaluation of the surface cariogenic alterations was carried out only between the control and experimental specimens of a particular tooth because of great histological and chemical differences among the teeth. The extent of demineralizing alterations was found to rise with the duration of oral exposure of a specimen and to considerably vary from tooth to tooth. The more severe developmental defects of the original enamel, the more pronounced were the cariogenic alterations. The findings were characterized by superficial erosion, central dissolution of intraprism enamel, arcadial and circular dissolution of interprism enamel, and loss of perikymata.
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
101316
URI
Publication date:
15.9.1989.
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