Comparative study of newly developed propolis varnish formulations with fluoride varnishes for effects on remineralization

Algül Özekici P. 2019. Comparative Study of Newly Developed Propolis Varnish Formulations with Fluoride Varnishes for Effects on Remineralization. Yeditepe University Institute of Health Sciences, Doctorate Thesis, İstanbul. Many products and methods have been developed since the introduction of the concept of remineralization in to dentistry. The aim of this study is to compare the effects of propolis-containing varnishes (propolis-chitosan, propolis-Carbopol®) as an alternative to fluoride varnishes (NaF and NaF-ACP), for initial caries lesions on surface microhardness and mineral density using Micro Computed Tomography (Micro-CT). For each of the experiments, 5 groups with 10 samples were formed. In the samples, after the formation of artificial caries lesions, varnishes were applied and subjected to pH cycling. Surface microhardness values (VSN) and mineral densities were calculated for initial, after demineralization and after pH cycle stages. In this study, statistical analysis was done by NCSS (Number Cruncher Statistical System) 2007 Statistical Software (Utah, USA). The results were evaluated at p <0.05 level. In the microhardness test, microhardness averages of NaF were significantly higher than the other experimental groups (p = 0.048, p = 0.0001). The microhardness averages of NaF-ACP were signif icantly higher than the microhardness averages of propolis-chitosan (p = 0.002). In the micro-CT experiment, for 0.3 mm enamel thickness, the mineral density averages of propolis-Carbopol® was found to be significantly lower than the other experimental groups (p = 0.0001). The mineral density averages of propolis-chitosan were significantly lower than NaF and NaF-ACP (p = 0.0001). The mineral density averages of NaF was found to be significantly lower than the mineral density averages of NaF-ACP (p = 0.0001). As a conclusion of this study, the new formulated propolis varnishes may be determined to be effective in remineralization of initial caries and this may be an alternative when considering the disadvantages of fluoride.