SUBSURFACE REMINERALIZATION

Tooth decay begins when acids, mainly from plaque bacteria, penetrate into the tooth and dissolve subsurface mineral. This demineralization can be reversed by mineral replacement from saliva and other sources. But if the rate of mineral dissolution exceeds the rate of replacement, irreversible destruction, i.e. decay requiring professional treatment, sets in. Results of both in vitro¹and in situ²testing using enamel samples bearing artificial incipient caries lesions, as assessed by X-ray (contact microradiogram (CRM)), show that nano<mHAP> remineralizes subsurface demineralized areas of enamel more effectively than simply saliva, and just as effectively as fluoride does.

_{1. T.Ohashi et al, Remineralization of Artificial Caries Lesions by Hydroxyapatite, J Dent Hlth 41(2): 214-223, 1991 (Japanese language with English abstract)

2. K.Najibfard et al, Remineralization of Early Caries Lesions by a Nano-Hydroxyapatite Dentifrice, J Clin Dent 22(5):139-43, 2011}