Novel evaluation and treatment techniques for white spot lesions. An in vitro study.

OBJECTIVE: White spot lesions (WSLs) are commonly seen during and after orthodontic treatment. Therefore, the objective of this in vitro study was to assess the effect of 45S5-bioglass in remineralizing WSLs using cross-polarization optical coherence tomography (CP-OCT) and confirm the findings by micro-hardness test.

METHODS: Ceramic orthodontic brackets were bonded to the buccal surface of 45 human premolars with Transbond XT primer followed by Transbond PLUS according to the manufacturer's instructions. Then, all specimens were varnished excluding the area of interest (AOI) around the bonded brackets, immersed in demineralizing solution and divided into three groups: BG, REM and CONT. In BG group, 15 specimens were treated with bioglass paste for 24 hours. REM group had 15 specimens stored in remineralization solution for 24 hours. CONT group had the remaining 15 specimens with no treatment. All specimens were examined under CP-OCT and tested using cross-sectional micro-hardness techniques.

RESULTS: CP-OCT analysis showed that the maximum pixel value after bioglass application was significantly increased at AOI when compared to CONT and REM groups (P>.05), which was confirmed by the cross-sectional micro-hardness results (P>.05).

CONCLUSION: Early enamel demineralization and remineralization can be easily and non-invasively monitored with CP-OCT. Bioglass is a potent remineralizing agent.