[Etching and fluorides].

To develop a more effective adhesive primer, it is imperative to understand the adhesion mechanisms of the resin to the demineralized dentin through a dentin primer. When the bonding agent was directly applied to the dentin etched by 40 wt % phosphoric acid without a primer pretreatment, the bond strength of the resin to the dentin was 5 MPa. Conversely, when the demineralized dentin was pretreated with the N-methacryloyl glycine (NM alpha A) primer solution with a pH value of 1.5, the bond strength increased considerably to 15 MPa. However, the bond strength dropped dramatically from 15 to 3 MPa when the sodium salt of NM alpha A was added, thereby increasing the pH value of the NM alpha A primer solution from 3.2 to 5.0. When the pH value was increased above 3.5 (pKa value), the number of ionized NM alpha A species increased in the solution. As a result, the bond strength of the resin fell to approximately 3 MPa. This result was obtained despite the 5-micron-thick hybrid layer that was created in the subsurface of the intertubular dentin. The number of unionized NM alpha A species increased by lowering the pH value below 3.5. As a result, the NM alpha A primer provided a higher bond strength of the resin to the demineralized dentin. In contrast, when 10 wt % citric acid containing 3 wt % ferric chloride was applied to the dentin, maximum bond strength was obtained when the pH value of the NM alpha A primer solution was 3.5. The pH dependency of the bond strength obtained following 10 wt % citric acid containing 3 wt % ferric chloride etching is different from the results obtained from 40 wt % phosphoric acid etching. This can be attributed to the difference in the characteristics of the demineralized collageous layer.

Acid Etching, Dental↗

PubMed1996

Structural changes of acid etched enamel examined under confocal laser scanning microscope.

The aim of the present investigation was to elucidate structural alternations in enamel subjected to acid etch technique and treatment under remineralizing conditions by means of a new microscopy technique known as confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). Blocks of enamel were treated with 37% phosphoric acid and exposed for 3 weeks to an oral environment. Tomographic CLSM images were subsequently obtained and compared with controls. CLSM proved to be a reliable, highly reproducible and simple method of qualitative assessment of structural changes occurring on the surface of enamel and in areas below the surface as deep as 100 microns or more. Structural alterations associated with acid application were observed to occur up to 100 microns below the surface; these largely remained after exposure to an oral environment. Changes manifested as differential light reflection were detected in experimental samples in the form of a hyper-reflexible zone extending as a 10 to 15 microns wide band below the etched surface. This finding indicates that deposition of salivary material occurs on and below the surface of etched enamel exposed to an oral environment. Once qualitative results of CLSM are correlated with quantitative measurements, this technique may facilitate large scale remineralization studies.

Acid Etching, Dental↗