| Aim. To determine the effects of acid etching, brackets, or resins, and filled resin sealants on enamel decalcification. A sample of 150 teeth was divided into 6 groups. Acid etch, brackets, and composite resin were placed on the teeth, with the right side sealed. The teeth were submitted to a carious challenge using S. mutans for 42 days. DIAGNOdent laser fluorescence was used to quantify the decalcification changes. The control group showed significantly (p&le0.013) less decalcification than all groups except the group with no etch+bracket. The no etch+bracket group showed significantly (p&le0.005) less decalcification than the etch+bracket, no etch+resin, and etch+resin groups. The teeth that were etched and the teeth that had resin had significantly more decalcification (34% and 24%, respectively) than those that were not etched or did not have resin. The bracket did not have an effect on decalcification. The unsealed side of the teeth had a small but significantly more (5%) decalcification than the sealed side. |
