Color stability of carious incipient lesions located in enamel and treated with resin infiltration or remineralization

Abstract

Objective: In this in vitro study, the color change of artificial caries lesions in enamel was evaluated after resin infiltration (Icon(®), DMG, Hamburg, Germany) or remineralization.

Methods: Bovine enamel specimens (n = 72) were randomly divided into four groups: G1 - exposure to demineralizing solution (32 h) and resin infiltration; G2 - immersion in demineralizing solution and remineralization cycles (8 days); G3 - demineralizing solution (negative control); G4 - healthy/non-treated enamel (positive control). The groups were subdivided and immersed in: A (saliva), B (coffee), and C (wine). The baseline color was evaluated by spectrophotometer and repeated after 4 and 8 weeks, and after polishing, at the end of 8 weeks. The variation in color (∆E) and lightness (∆L) was analyzed by anova (two-way) and Tukey tests, and Friedman and Kruskal-Wallis tests, respectively.

Results: All specimens underwent color and lightness change, irrespective of immersion medium. In coffee, G2 presented the lowest mean ∆E (P < 0.05), compared with the other groups. In saliva, G3 presented the highest mean ∆E, and G2 and G4 lower ∆E means.

Conclusion: Lesions infiltrated with Icon(®) underwent greater color change when compared with remineralized lesions, which may represent an esthetic disadvantage for the first-mentioned treatment.