title: Surface analysis of dentinal caries in primary teeth using a pH-imaging microscope.
abstract: The aim of this in vitro study was to evaluate the pH value of intact and carious dentin in primary teeth using a pH-imaging microscope (SCHEM-100, HORIBA Ltd., Kyoto, Japan). Bucco-lingual cut sections of extracted human primary teeth, which had either mild or severe dentinal caries lesions, were placed on the pH-imaging sensor of the microscope. The pH values were compared statistically by Levene's test for equality of variances and Tukey HSD multiple comparison test (p < 0.05). For both mild and severe lesions in primary dentin, the lowest pH values in the carious lesions were lower than those of intact dentin (6.6, range 6.3-6.9). There were statistical differences between the lowest pH value within the mild lesions (6.2, range 5.8-6.4) and that of the severe lesions (6.0, range 5.9-6.2) (p < 0.05). It was concluded that SCHEM-100 was able to distinguish the pH-value distribution of intact and carious dentin in primary teeth.
authors.affiliation: Cariology and Operative Dentistry, Department of Restorative Sciences, Graduate School, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, 5-45 Yushima, 1-Chome, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8549, Japan. nikaido.ope@tmd.ac.jp
authors.forename: Toru
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nikaido
authors.forename: Kayoko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Moriya
authors.forename: Noriko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hiraishi
authors.forename: Masaomi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ikeda
authors.forename: Yuichi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kitasako
authors.forename: Richard M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Foxton
authors.forename: Junji
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tagami
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000473:pathology*; D003804:Dentin / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D008853:Microscopy / Q000295:instrumentation; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D014094:Tooth, Deciduous / Q000473:pathology*