8DSS-promoted remineralization of demineralized dentin in vitro

) was coated and the binding strength of the 8DSS peptide to demineralized dentin was examined using attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR). Then the coated dentin samples were immersed in artificial saliva for 3 weeks. After that, the remineralized dentin samples were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis and ATR-FTIR. The mechanical properties of the remineralized surfaces were determined by nano-indentation and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The results showed that the 8DSS peptide had good binding strength to demineralized dentin and could induce nano-crystals precipitation both on the surfaces and within the dentinal tubules. The mechanical properties of the 8DSS-coated samples were significantly improved. In contrast, there were hardly any newly generated minerals deposited on the samples without 8DSS peptide coating. In conclusion, the 8DSS peptide may be a promising biomaterial for restoring the demineralized human dentin.