In vitro evaluation of remineralization activities of toothpastes with and without aloe vera with different ratios of fluoride on demineralized enamel

In remineralization treatments, alternative materials have been tried to be developed due to the fact that fluoride, which is accepted as the gold standard, is known as a chemically active neurotoxic material, the risk of fluorosis, and the inability of fluoride to meet the need for remineralization alone. With the increase in interest in natural products in the field of dentistry, as in all areas of life, studies related to these products have gained momentum. The aim of this in vitro thesis study is to evaluate and compare the efficacy of both pure aloe vera and commercially available toothpastes with different fluoride compounds and different fluoride amounts on artificial initial enamel lesions. In the study, 72 extracted human molar teeth were divided into mesiodistal and 144 specimens were prepared using the vestibule and palatal/lingual surfaces of the teeth. The surfaces of the teeth whose surface treatments were completed were covered with nail polish in 2 layers to form 3X3 mm windows. The initial microhardness values of the samples were measured and recorded. The specimens were kept in the demineralization solution for the following 7 days, resulting in artificial initial enamel lesion. After repeating the microhardness measurement, the samples were randomly distributed to 8 groups (n=18) in total, with the mean microhardness values of the groups being similar. The teeth were subjected to pH cycle by keeping them in demineralization solution for 6 hours and remineralization solution for 16 hours daily for 14 days and applying the test material to all samples for 2 minutes at 1 hour intervals during solution change times. At the end of 14 days, microhardness measurements were repeated and data were recorded. Statistical analyzes were performed using MedCalc Statistical Software version 12.7.7. (MedCalc Software bvba, Ostend, Belgium; http://www.medcalc.org; 2013). The significance level was determined as 0.05. In the statistical results, when the microhardness values after demineralization and post-cycle were compared, Group B1 and A2 showed the lowest values, while Group A1, A2, A4, B1, B2 post-cycle values were found to be statistically significantly lower than the post-demineralization values. While Group A3 and Group B3 did not show a significant difference in terms of microhardness values after demineralization and post-cycle, only Group B4 showed statistically significantly higher values. Within the limits of our study, it can be said that the combination of aloe vera and 1440 ppm fluoride is an effective agent that can be used in the remineralization of initial enamel caries.