What question did this study set out to answer?

This study aims to evaluate how polyacrylic acid pretreatment affects the efficacy of CPP-ACP in remineralizing demineralized root dentin.

April 6, 2026Open Access

Effect of polyacrylic acid pretreatment before CPP-ACP application in remineralization of demineralized root dentin: An in vitro study

Key Points

This study aims to evaluate how polyacrylic acid pretreatment affects the efficacy of CPP-ACP in remineralizing demineralized root dentin.
Prepared 39 dentin specimens from extracted human third molars.
Standardized microhardness measured using Vickers hardness test at baseline.
Divided specimens into three groups: untreated, CPP-ACP, and PAA pretreatment followed by CPP-ACP.
Subjected specimens to a 72-hour demineralization process followed by a 28-day pH-cycling regimen.
Compared microhardness before and after treatments using statistical analyses.
Demineralization significantly reduced dentin microhardness in all groups.
Microhardness increased significantly after treatment with both CPP-ACP and PAA pretreatment.
PAA pretreatment resulted in a significantly higher increase in microhardness compared to CPP-ACP alone.
Neither treatment group returned to initial microhardness values.

Abstract

Background. This study evaluated the efficacy of polyacrylic acid (PAA) pretreatment before application of casein phosphopeptide–amorphous calcium phosphate (CPP-ACP) in remineralizing demineralized root dentin. Methods. Thirty-nine dentin specimens from extracted human third molars were prepared. All the specimens were standardized for Vickers microhardness at baseline (VHNba). Then the specimens were randomly divided into three groups (n=13): (1) untreated demineralized dentin, (2) CPP-ACP treatment, and (3) PAA pretreatment before CPP-ACP application. All the specimens were subjected to 72 hours of demineralization. Subsequently, treatments were administered according to group protocols and a 28-day pH-cycling regimen. Then, Vickers microhardness (VHN) was assessed after demineralization (VHNde) and after treatment (VHNre). The difference between VHNre and VHNde was calculated as ΔVHN and compared between the groups. Data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA, repeated-measures ANOVA, and post hoc Bonferroni tests (P<0.05). Results. Demineralization significantly decreased dentin microhardness in all the groups (P<0.001). In contrast, microhardness values increased significantly after applying the treatment protocol (P<0.001). Specimens that received PAA pretreatment before CPP-ACP application showed a considerably higher ΔVHN than those treated with CPP-ACP alone (P<0.0001). However, neither group returned to the initial values. Conclusion. Applying CPP-ACP, either alone or after pretreatment with PAA, increased the microhardness of demineralized root dentin and promoted remineralization. Pretreatment with PAA enhanced this remineralization effect, suggesting its potential use in conservative dentin treatment strategies.

AI에게 질문

Bookmark

View Full Paper