Enhancement of the Antiplaque Value of Antibacterial Agents by Enamel-Conditioning Methods: I. Rationale, Mechanism, and Initial Findings

¹ Oral Health Research Institute, Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis, Indianapolis, Indiana 46202, USA

A method is proposed to induce chemically the incorporation of bacterial agents into enamel and thus render this tissue resistant to bacterial colonization. It consists of promoting a slight initial dissolution of enamel, followed immediately by its reprecipitation. During this latter phase, antibacterial agents included in the test formulations would become trapped in the reprecipitating enamel. That this happens is proved by the chemical detection of antibacterial agents in treated enamel, as well as by the development of a remarkable resistance of treated specimens to grow in vitro plaque.