Remineralization Strategies in Oral Hygiene: A Position Paper of Italian Society of Oral Hygiene Sciences-S.I.S.I.O. Working Group

The Dental-BIOfilm Detection TECHnique (D-BioTECH): A Proof of Concept of a Patient-Based Oral Hygiene

To date, no strong long-term data have been reported about new innovative clinical protocols to manage oral hygiene. An improper management of oral hygiene may lead to an increase in dental implant failure, and to an increase in infective complications in prosthetic rehabilitation. Personalized techniques are strongly required in dentistry and dental hygiene. A customized and personalized approach to oral hygiene is crucial in ensuring not only effective treatment, but also a careful analysis of the general health status of the patient involved in the therapeutic process. D-BioTECH is an acronym for Dental BIOfilm Detection Technique: it is based on a tailored approach to patients, ensuring that the operator actively interacts with the patient and their specific needs, especially during the domiciliary therapy. D-BioTECH is an approach to preventive care: in D-BioTECH, both dental hygienists and dentists play a central role. The use of a personalized approach to oral hygiene is the first step towards increasing implant and prosthesis survival rate; moreover, personalized medicine is strategic for managing and preventing the biological complications associated with several dental risk factors.

[Raman spectroscopy and its application in different areas of medicine]

The aim of the review is to learn about the areas of application of the Raman spectroscopy in medicine, particularly in dentistry. The method is widely used in biology, medicine, pharmacy, forensic science, gemology, food industry and other industries. The main advantages of Raman spectroscopy are no need for sample preparation and small amounts of the object of study, as well as the ability to contactlessly obtain unique information about the conformation and microenvironment of living cell molecules. The disadvantages are high costs of the equipment that are compensated with the long-term use by having no costs for additional reagents. The combinatorial scattering is used in dermatology, as it is a high-accuracy automated method of visualization and diagnostics of both benign growths as pigmented nevus, seborrheic keratosis, and malignant neoplasms as melanoma and basal cell carcinoma. This method is an analytical tool for diagnosing various diseases, making the direct measurements in hard and liquid media easier, does not require special treatment of samples and is not sensitive to absorption bands. The Raman spectroscopy use in dentistry allows diagnosing and comparative analysis of the changes of hard tissues of teeth and mucous membrane of the mouth, which improves security and rationalization of treatment and further prevention of complications before and after making different operations.

Effectiveness of Theobromine on Enamel Remineralization: A Comparative In-vitro Study

Background

Remineralizing agents demonstrate potential to reverse early carious lesions. Theobromine containing dentifrices claim to remineralize enamel lesions effectively. The aim of this in-vitro study was to evaluate and compare the remineralization potential of dentifrices containing theobromine, 0.21% sodium fluoride (NaF) with functionalized tricalcium phosphate (f-TCP) and amine fluoride on artificial enamel caries.

Materials and methods

Sound extracted human premolars were demineralized to produce deep artificial carious lesions. The teeth were sectioned longitudinally and allocated to three treatment groups with nine specimens in each group: Group A (NaF + f-TCP), Group B (amine fluoride), and Group C (theobromine). The specimens were then subjected to pH cycling for seven days. Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) was utilized to record the patterns of demineralization and remineralization. One-way ANOVA and paired t-test were used to analyze changes in lesion depth. The level of significance was set at p<0.05.

Results

All three dentifrices effectively remineralized artificial carious lesions (paired t-test, p<0.001). Of the groups, Group A (54.97%) reported the highest percentage change in lesion depth values followed closely by Group B (51.51%) and Group C (31.71%), respectively.

Conclusion

Within this in-vitro study, theobromine containing dentifrice was effective in remineralizing lesions of enamel. However, theobromine demonstrated less remineralization potential in comparison to dentifrices containing NaF + f-(TCP) and amine fluoride.