Fluoride-doped amorphous calcium phosphate nanoparticles as a promising biomimetic material for dental remineralization

• Published in: Scientific reports Vol. 8; no. 1; pp. 17016 - 9
• Main Authors: Iafisco, Michele, Degli Esposti, Lorenzo, Ramírez-Rodríguez, Gloria Belén, Carella, Francesca, Gómez-Morales, Jaime, Ionescu, Andrei Cristian, Brambilla, Eugenio, Tampieri, Anna, Delgado-López, José Manuel
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 19-11-2018; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 140/133; 639/301/54/989; 692/700/3032/3065; Apatite; Biomimetics; Calcium phosphates; Calcium Phosphates - chemistry; Demineralization; Dental caries; Dental enamel; Dentin; Dentin Sensitivity; Dentistry; Fluoride treatments; Fluorides; Fluorides - chemistry; Humanities and Social Sciences; Hypersensitivity; Ions; Mimicry; multidisciplinary; Nanoparticles; Nanoparticles - chemistry; Remineralization; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Spectrum Analysis, Raman; Teeth; Tooth Remineralization - methods; Tubules; Preventive Dentistry; Enamel Remineralization; Amorphous Calcium Phosphate (ACP); Dental Hard Tissues; Dentinal Tubule Occlusion
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-35258-x

Demineralization of dental hard tissue is a widespread problem and the main responsible for dental caries and dentin hypersensitivity. The most promising strategies to induce the precipitation of new mineral phase are the application of materials releasing gradually Ca
2+
and PO
4
3−
ions or mimicking the mineral phase of the host tissue. However, the design of formulations covering both processes is so far a challenge in preventive dentistry. In this work, we have synthesized innovative biomimetic amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP), which has been, for the first time, doped with fluoride ions (FACP) to obtain materials with enhanced anti-caries and remineralizing properties. Significantly, the doping with fluoride (F) did not vary the physico-chemical features of ACP but resulted in a faster conversion to the crystalline apatite phase in water, as observed by
in-situ
time-dependent Raman experiments. The efficacy of the as synthesized ACP and FACP samples to occlude dentinal tubules and induce enamel remineralization has been tested
in vitro
in human molar teeth. The samples showed good ability to partially occlude the tubules of acid-etched dentin and to restore demineralized enamel into its native structure. Results demonstrate that ACP and FACP are promising biomimetic materials in preventive dentistry to hinder demineralization of dental hard tissues.