Atomic force microscopy observation of the enamel roughness and depth profile after phosphoric acid etching Article uri icon

abstract

  • The aim was to compare the enamel surface roughness (ESR) and absolute depth profile (ADP) (mean peak-to-valley height) by atomic force microscopy (AFM) before and after using four different phosphoric acids. A total of 160 enamel samples from 40 upper premolars were prepared. The inclusion criterion was that the teeth have healthy enamel. Exclusion criteria included any of the following conditions: facial restorations, caries lesions, enamel hypoplasia and dental fluorosis. Evaluations of the ESR and ADP were carried out by AFM. The Mann-Whitney U-test was used to compare continuous variables and the Wilcoxon test was used to analyze the differences between before and after etching. There were statistically significant differences (P ≤ 0.05) among mean surface roughness and absolute depth before and after using four different phosphoric acids in healthy enamel; Etch-37 and Scotchbond Etching Gel showed higher profiles after etching (P ≤ 0.05). There were statistically significant differences (P ≤ 0.05) among roughness and ADP before and after using four different phosphoric acids in healthy enamel. However, consistently Etch-37 and Scotchbond Etching Gel showed the highest increase regarding the ESR and ADP after etching healthy enamel. AFM was a useful tool to study site-specific structural topography changes in enamel after phosphoric acid etching. © 2009 The Author.

publication date

  • 2010-01-01