Self-limiting caries therapy with proteolytic agents

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Dental Research
• Biochemistry

Background:

• Dental caries is a prevalent oral disease characterized by demineralization and degradation of tooth structure.
• Effective removal of carious dentin is crucial for successful dental restoration and caries management.
• Proteolytic enzymes offer a potential alternative to traditional mechanical or chemical caries removal methods.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the efficacy of various proteolytic agents (pepsin, trypsin, collagenase, sodium hypochlorite) in removing artificial carious dentin.
• To evaluate the potential of pepsin and a novel enzymatic solution (SFC-V) as self-limiting caries therapies for deep dentin lesions.
• To investigate the role of acidic buffers and agitation in enzyme-mediated caries removal.

Main Methods:

• An artificial dentin caries model was created using demineralization of dentin slices with acetic or lactic acid.
• Demineralized dentin was treated with different proteolytic agents and buffers for varying durations (10 minutes to 24 hours).
• High-resolution field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) was used to analyze dentin surface morphology post-treatment.

Main Results:

• Lactic acid produced demineralized dentin with a surface layer removable by proteolytic enzymes, unlike acetic acid.
• The efficacy of tissue removal by proteolytic agents followed the order: trypsin < pepsin < collagenase < sodium hypochlorite.
• Pepsin and SFC-V effectively removed the degraded organic matrix, while buffers alone had no significant effect.

Conclusions:

• Proteolytic enzymes, particularly pepsin and SFC-V, demonstrate significant potential for removing artificial carious dentin.
• These enzymes may serve as effective, self-limiting therapeutic agents for deep dentin caries.
• Further research into enzyme-based caries therapies is warranted for clinical application.