In vitro re-hardening of bleached enamel using mineralizing pastes: Toward preventing bacterial colonization

The search for materials able to remineralize human hard tissues is a modern medical challenge. In this study, the protective effect on the enamel microhardness by a paste based on hydroxyapatite and sodium fluoride (Remin Pro) was evaluated after two different enamel bleaching procedures. Forty sound human incisors were randomly assigned to different treatments: bleaching with an in-office agent (Perfect Bleach Office+); bleaching with an at-home agent (Perfect Bleach); bleaching with the in-office agent followed by the prophylaxis paste; bleaching with the at-home agent followed by the prophylaxis paste; no treatment (control). Bleaching was performed at 0, 8, 24 and 32 h, followed by a 3-min re-mineralizing treatment in the subgroups designed to receive it. Specimens underwent a micro-hardness tester and a mean Vickers Hardness number was considered for each specimen. ANOVA exhibited significant differences among groups. Post-hoc Tukey testing showed significant micro-hardness decrease after the application of both the two bleaching agents. The treatment with prophylaxis paste significantly increased the micro-hardness values of bleached enamel.