Analysis of Microstructural Changes of Sound, Demineralized and Denatured Dentin on Application of Carisolv – An In Vitro Study

Abstract BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to analyze the microstructural changes caused by Carisolv gel on sound, demineralized, and denatured dentin. METHOD: A total of 48 freshly extracted human premolars and molars were collected and divided into 3 main groups, Group I contained 12 teeth with fractured dentinal surface, which were further divided into two subgroups IA and IB, which contained 6 teeth in each. Group II contained 18 teeth with dentinal surface demineralized superficially by phosphoric acid etching and were divided into three subgroups IIA, IIB and IIC, which contained 6 teeth in each. Group III contained 18 teeth, where dentinal surface was denatured using lactic acid and collagenase pretreatment, and was divided into three subgroups IIIA, IIIB and IIIC. 6 teeth from each group were exposed to freshly mixed Carisolv gel and 6 teeth exposed to 0.25% sodium hypochlorite. No additional mechanical action was exerted during the 20 minutes exposure of specimen to the Carisolv gel. Specimens were evaluated by scanning electron microscope. Data was analyzed by using paired t-test for intragroup comparisons and ANOVA for intergroup comparisons followed by Posthoc Tukey‟s test for group wise comparisons. RESULTS: Scanning electron microscope evaluation did not indicate any microstructural changes of the dentinal surfaces in Group I or Group II, due to the 20 minutes Carisolv gel. Denatured dentin in Group III was partially removed within a 20 minutes period of chemical action of the Carisolv gel leaving only a 20.221.1μm thick layer of residual denatured dentin on the specimen‟s surface. In contrast, 0.25% sodium hypochlorite treatment completely dissolved the demineralized as well as denatured dentin layer within 20 minutes. CONCLUSION: From this in vitro study, it can be concluded that Carisolv gel does not affect sound fractured dentin, and does not dissolve demineralized dentin and has a limited potential to chemically dissolve denatured dentin. Annals of Dental Research (2012) 2(2), 98-107