title: Hardness of enamel exposed to Coca-Cola and artificial saliva.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to determine the rate of change in indentation hardness of enamel in permanent teeth exposed to Coca-Cola. In a further experiment, the ability of a commercially available artificial saliva to remineralize enamel treated with Coca-Cola was tested. Ten enamel specimens were randomly chosen to be treated with Coca-Cola (experimental groups) and seven with water (control group). The fluids were applied for 1, 2, 3 h and overnight (15 h), washed off with a few drops of water and the moist enamel indentation hardness tested after each interval. With Coca-Cola treatment, the mean enamel hardness was 92.6% (s.d. = 7.9) of the original baseline hardness after 1 h, 93.25% (s.d. = 10.15) after 2 h, 85.7% (s.d. = 12.03) after 3 h and 80.3% after 15 h. The mean indentation hardness of control specimens treated with water was 108.7% (s.d. = 16.09) of the original hardness after 1 h, 99.09% (s.d. = 18.98) after 2 h, 98.97% (s.d. =11.24) after 3 h and 98.42% (s.d. = 22.78) after 15 h. In a separate experiment, the hardness of 9 enamel specimens was tested, as previously described, before and after treatment with Coca-Cola overnight and again after application of artificial saliva for 3 min. Coca-Cola reduced the mean indentation hardness of enamel in the teeth, but the hardness was partially restored with artificial saliva (Salivart) and increased by 18% from the demineralized enamel hardness.
authors.affiliation: The Dental School, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK. hugh.devlin@manchester.ac.uk
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Devlin
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Bassiouny
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Boston
mesh_terms: D002253:Carbonated Beverages / Q000009:adverse effects*; D003743:Dental Enamel; D006244:Hardness / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D012464:Saliva, Artificial / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014077:Tooth Erosion / Q000209:etiology*; D014089:Tooth Remineralization / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D012464:Saliva, Artificial