The scope of the study was to establish and compare the effects determined by the action of the ortophosphoric and hydrochloric acids upon the enamel affected by incipient carious lesions with different evolution.
Materials and method. 20 teeth with acute and chronic non-cavitary carious lesions were considered for the study. The teeth were sectioned in two halves through the middle of the non-cavitary lesions. The halves of 5 white spot-type lesions and of 5 brown spot-type ones were analyzed as to their surface roughness, on an atomic force microscope (AFM). 5 halves with white spot-type lesions and 5 halves with brown spot-type ones were subjected to acid etching with 37% ortophosphoric acid (Scotchbond etchant gel, 3M ESPE), and an equal number of samples was subjected to the action of 15% hydrochloric acid (ICON-etch, DMG Dental Products Ltd) for 2 min, then washed with water and analyzed by AFM.
Results. The initial surface roughness of the enamel was higher in the white spot–type carious lesions, comparatively with the brown spot-type ones. For both types of carious non-cavitary lesions, acid etching with phosphoric and hydrochloric acid significantly increased the surface roughness of the enamel, comparatively with the status of the enamel surface prior to etching. The hydrochloric acid led to a surface roughness significantly higher than in the case of ortophosphoric acid, in both acute and chronic non-cavitary carious lesions. The roughness values obtained through etching with ortophosphoric and hydrochloric acid were higher in the white spot-type carious lesions, comparatively with the brown spot-type ones.
Conclusions. Both the 37% ortophosphoric acid and the 15% hydrochloric acid determined a significantly higher surface roughness of the enamel affected by acute and chronic non-cavitary carious lesions. The surface condition of the brown spot-type carious lesions was less significantly modified, comparatively with that of the white spot-type lesions, by the action of either ortophosphoric or hydrochloric acid.
- AFM
- brown spot-type lesions
- hydrochloric acid
- phosphoric acid
- white spot-type lesions