Thesis & Dissertations

Objective: To compare the effectiveness of Nano-hydroxyapatite (Nano-HAP) paste and fluoride varnish in remineralizing initial enamel lesion in young permanent teeth, and their ability to resist secondary caries under dynamic pH cycling quantitatively and qualitatively. Method: Initial caries-like lesions were artificially developed on Forty-five specimen. specimens were divided into three groups; (1) control (without treatment); (2) fluoride varnish (3M ESPE); (3) Nano-HAP paste (Desensibilize Nano P). The Nano-HAP paste was applied twice separated by one pH-cycle, and the varnish was applied only once. pH-cycling was performed for seven days. All specimens were examined using DIAGNOdent® (KaVo, Germany) and a representative specimen were randomly selected from each group for qualitative analysis using scanned electron microscope (SEM) at four stages; baseline, after lesion formation, immediately after remineralization and after pH-cycling. Data were statistically analyzed using SPSS version 20 (Chicago IL, USA). Results: The degree of demineralization was significantly elevated in control group; however, no significant difference was found between Fluoride varnish group and Nano-HAP paste group (p< 0.001). Conclusion: Within the limitation of this in-vitro study it was concluded that the remineralization effect of Nano-HAP paste had promising protective results over time in terms of surface depositions and maintaining a smooth surface compared to fluoride varnish. Keywords: Enamel Lesion, Remineralization, Nano-Hydroxyapatite.