Acidic/abrasive challenges on simulated non-carious cervical lesions development and morphology

Area of Science:

• Dental materials science
• Oral biology
• Biomaterials

Background:

• Non-carious cervical lesions (NCCLs) are a prevalent dental issue.
• Understanding the interplay between erosion and abrasion is crucial for NCCL prevention.
• Previous research has focused on individual factors, but combined effects require further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the influence of erosive challenge frequency and toothbrushing abrasion duration on NCCL development and morphology.
• To quantify tooth structure loss and characterize lesion morphology under varying erosive-abrasive conditions.

Main Methods:

• Extracted human premolars were subjected to four erosive-abrasive protocols with varying acid exposure frequencies (0, 2500, 5000, 15000 brushing strokes) and a constant 55000 total brushing strokes.
• Three-dimensional imaging using an intraoral scanner captured tooth morphology at multiple time points.
• Volumetric tooth loss was analyzed using WearCompare software, and lesion angles and morphology were assessed using ImageJ.

Main Results:

• Tooth loss significantly increased with the number of brushing strokes and was higher in acid-exposed groups (p<0.001).
• While acid exposure increased tooth loss regardless of frequency, no significant difference in tooth loss was observed among acid-exposed groups after 35000 strokes (p>0.05).
• Acid-exposed lesions exhibited significantly shallower angles (∼145°) and were predominantly striated, contrasting with the control group's sharper angles (59°) and wedge-shaped lesions (94%).

Conclusions:

• Simulated NCCLs develop and progress more rapidly under acidic conditions, irrespective of challenge frequency.
• Acid exposure significantly impacts NCCL morphology, leading to distinct lesion characteristics compared to abrasion alone.