A comparative study of the susceptibility of cut and uncut enamel to erosive demineralization

This study aimed to evaluate the susceptibility of cut and uncut enamel surfaces to an erosive challenge and to examine the resultant characteristics/morphological changes. Ten extracted human incisors were used for preparation of enamel samples, and samples were immersed in citric acid. After 3 (total 3 min) and 6 cycles (total 6 min) of erosive challenges, surface loss (SL) and morphological changes were measured using scanning microscopy and FIB-TEM. Ca release (CA) and surface hardness (SH) were measured using a calcium-sensitive electrode and hardness tester respectively. Mean values of all measurements were statistically analyzed by using a t-test. Uncut enamel samples had significantly lower SL and greater SH than cut enamel (p<0.01). Cut enamel samples after 3 cycles showed higher CA compared with those from uncut enamel samples (p<0.05). Cut enamel was shown to be more susceptible to acidic dissolution and deeper acid penetration than uncut enamel after erosive demineralization.