Changes in bovine dentin mineral with sodium hypochlorite treatment

Dentin powders from bovine incisors were treated with 10% NaClO solution. Differential thermal analysis (DTA) indicated the removal of organic material from the dentin sample following the treatment, since the exothermic reaction at 320 degrees C had disappeared. X-ray diffraction studies revealed a change in the crystallinity of the dentin crystals and the formation of calcite after the treatment. Infrared absorption analysis showed that the band due to carbonate ions was weakened after the treatment, while atomic absorption spectroscopic analysis showed that magnesium ions had been dissolved from the dentin sample. The a-axis lengths of treated and heated dentin samples differed from those of untreated and heated samples. Whitlockite was always found in the untreated/heated samples, whereas it was absent in the treated/heated samples. The unit cell dimensions of the whitlockite indicated the partial substitution of magnesium for calcium. Magnesium ions seemed to be more effective than carbonate ions in forming whitlockite. These results showed that some magnesium and carbonate ions were removed from the dentin crystal structure upon NaClO treatment, while at the same time organic materials were removed from the dentin sample. It was suggested that crystals in the NaClO-treated dentin were similar to enamel crystals from a crystallographic viewpoint.