Wear resistance and surface roughness of a newly devised adhesive patch for sealing smooth enamel surfaces

A laboratory study assessed the wear resistance and surface roughness after chemical and mechanical wear of a newly devised adhesive patch when used as a smooth surface sealant. Forty-eight enamel discs were prepared from bovine lower central incisors. Sixteen specimens were treated with one of two sealing options: the prototype of an adhesive patch or a flowable resin. Unsealed enamel served as the positive control. Wear and surface roughness was measured at baseline and after all the samples were immersed in saliva or lactic acid (n=8 per treatment group) for up to 21 days, during which the experimental and control enamel surfaces were exposed to 10 double-stroke toothbrush cycles per day. In saliva and lactic acid, the sealed specimens showed no significant wear during the observation period (p=0.1841). Only untreated specimens exposed to lactic acid showed a significant substance loss after 14 and 21 days (p=0.0186). The patch and flowable resin showed no differences in surface roughness values at respective times (p=0.385); whereas the surface roughness of the unsealed specimens in lactic acid was significantly higher (p<0.0001). It was concluded that the adhesive patch under investigation merits further study to assess its potential as a sealant for smooth enamel surfaces.