For White spot, in dentistry, we mean those white spots that can appear on the enamel of the teeth causing an unpleasant blemish. The white spots on the teeth are quite common, it is a pathology closely linked to the demineralization of the dental enamel.
White spots on enamel: what are the causes?
The white spots can be the consequence of several factors, in particular to cause the presence of white spots on the teeth can be:
- abrasion of the enamel;
- continuous secretion of saliva;
- too vigorous tooth brushing;
- enamel erosion due to bruxism;
- orthodontic treatments with bonding of brackets.
All these factors have in common the demineralization of the dental enamel, the very main cause of white spots on the teeth.
Bioactive glass as a treatment for white spots
Bioactive glass is a material already used in the medical field, in particular in orthopedics, for its properties. In fact, if incorporated into body fluids, bioactive glass forms a layer rich in silica which is superimposed on a layer rich in bioactive hydroxyapatite capable of binding to hard and soft body tissues.
However, the oral cavity is not a favorable environment for bioactive materials because they require at least twenty-four hours of continuous application to complete their cycle and be fully effective.
An application test on enamel demineralization
A group of researchers wanted to test the effectiveness of bioactive glass to remineralize the white spots of the enamel caused by the adhesion force of the brackets of an orthodontic appliance.
The test was performed on 135 human teeth extracted and stored in acid solution for four days.
The sample analyzed was divided into three different groups:
- group 1: teeth with white spots created by demineralization of the enamel;
- group 2: teeth with white spots treated with bioactive glass;
- group 3: teeth with intact enamel.
Metallic orthodontic brackets were applied to 15 samples from each group and, consequently, adhesion tests were performed.
The whole sample under consideration was chemically analyzed using infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscope equipped with electron dispersion spectroscopy.
The effectiveness of bioactive glass for white spots
The results showed that teeth treated with bioactive glass had significantly less enamel loss than group 1 samples.
The samples treated with bioactive glass also recorded a significantly higher bond strength on the orthodontic brackets than the demineralized samples but lower than the samples with intact enamel.
It can be concluded, although the test will have to be confirmed by further research, that bioactive glass can be a valid remineralizing agent for demineralized enamel.
