Remineralization of Slightly Etched Enamel

¹ Forsyth Dental Center and Harvard School of Dental Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts

Remineralization of acid-etched ground sections of enamel was studied by means of polarized light microscopy and microradiography. Remineralization was rapid during the first 24 hours and tapered off during the next 48 hours. No further increase in mineral deposition was observed after additional exposures to the calcifying solution or to saliva for periods up to 3 weeks. The rate of remineralization was similar in the inorganic calcifying solution employed and parotid duct saliva. Artificially produced "white spots" could be made less opaque by exposure to saliva or the calcifying solution. Polarizing microscopy showed that the decreased opacity was caused by mineral deposition in the outer enamel. This was also suggested by the observation that dye penetration of "white spots" was considerably decreased after remineralization either in saliva or calcifying solution.