Biomimetic remineralization of demineralized enamel using agarose hydrogel loaded with enamel matrix derivative alone or combined with nano- hydroxyapatite : An in vitro study / Sara Mahmoud Abdelaal ; Supervised Amal Mohammed Elsayed Elmotayam , Marwa Magdy Saad Abbas

Thesis (Ph.D.) - Cairo University - Faculty of Oral and Dental Medicine - Department of Oral Biology

Dental caries is a major public health problem. Minimally invasive dentistry aims to prevent progression of caries and treat non-cavitated lesions through non-invasive approaches to preserve the integrity of tooth structure. The purpose of this study is to investigate and compare between the possible biomimetic potential of agarose hydrogel loaded with EMD alone or combined with EMD and n-HA in remineralizing human demineralized enamel.The remineralized enamel surfaces were evaluated through SEM examination, EDX, microhardness and surface roughness analysis.This study was carried out on 47 extracted human lower third molars. The coronal part of each tooth was longitudinally sectioned in mesio-distal direction then the roots were removed at the cemento-enamel junction. The 93 teeth halves were isolated to expose 3 windows on each tooth surface. The specimens were randomized into three groups according to the follow up time; group I (2 days), group II (4 days) and group III (6 days). Each group is subdivided into 3 subgroups according to the material used. Caries like lesion was prepared by applying 37% phosphoric acid gel for 1 minute and then remineralization was performed through applying agarose, EMD-agarose and n-HA-EMD-agarose hydrogels on the demineralized surfaces. Then the specimens were placed in phosphate solution at 37{u02DA}C for 2, 4 & 6 days. All the enamel surfaces were examined at the baseline for the sound untreated enamel, after carious lesion formation and remineralization at 2, 4 & 6 days by SEM, EDX, microhardness tester and surface roughness analysis

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