Ultrasonic investigation of the effect of S-PRG filler-containing coating material on bovine tooth demineralization

This study investigated the effect of a coating material containing S-PRG fillers on the demineralization of bovine enamel and dentin, by measuring changes in the transmitted ultrasonic velocity. Bovine enamel and dentin specimens with and without coating (n=6 for each condition) were cut into blocks, immersed in 0.1 M lactic-acid buffer solution (pH 4.75) for 10 min twice daily throughout the test period, and stored in a demineralising artificial saliva solution (pH 7.0) between treatments. The propagation time of longitudinal ultrasonic waves was measured by a pulser-receiver with a transducer. Data were evaluated using ANOVA followed by Tukey's HSD test (α=0.05). The sonic velocity decreased over time for specimens stored in demineralising solution; however, coated specimens had a significantly higher sonic velocity than those without coating. The coating material containing pre-reacted glass-ionomer fillers therefore appeared to reduce the demineralisation of enamel and dentin.