title: How effectively do hydraulic calcium-silicate cements re-mineralize demineralized dentin.
abstract: To characterize the chemical interplay and to quantify the re-mineralization potential of hydraulic calcium-silicate cements (hCSCs) at demineralized dentin.
  
  
  
  Pairs of class-I cavities were prepared in non-carious human third molars. One dentin cavity was demineralized with 10% formic acid (5h); the other served as control. The cavities were filled with two resin-free hCSCs (Biodentine, Septodont; ProRoot MTA, Dentsply Sirona) or one resin-based hCSC (TheraCal LC, Bisco). After 1-week, 1-, 3-, and 6-month storage in simulated body fluid (SBF), polished specimen cross-sections were chemically characterized using Field-emission-gun Electron Probe Micro-Analysis (Feg-EPMA) and micro-Raman spectroscopy (μRaman).
  
  
  
  Feg-EPMA line-scans and elemental mappings confirmed early re-mineralization induced by all three hCSCs at 1week. The relative depth and intensity of re-mineralization were for the resin-free hCSCs in the range of 50.5%-84.8% and 68.1%-89.2%, respectively. Re-mineralization did not significantly differ for the storage periods (p>0.05). Significantly less re-mineralization was achieved by the resin-based hCSC TheraCal LC that reached only at 6months a re-mineralization level that was no longer significantly different from that achieved by the resin-free hCSCs at 1week (p>0.05). Re-mineralization of intertubular dentin, including tubular occlusion, was observed; Si was occasionally detected to have infiltrated the dentin tubules. Dentin re-mineralization by hCSCs was confirmed using μRaman that revealed an increased phosphate peak at 960cm-1.
  
  
  
  hCSCs do re-mineralize demineralized dentin. The resin-free cements induced re-mineralization at a higher speed/intensity than the resin-based hCSC. However, re-mineralization was incomplete for all hCSCs tested, this even at 6months.
authors.affiliation: KU Leuven (University of Leuven), Department of Oral Health Sciences, BIOMAT & University Hospitals Leuven Dentistry, Kapucijnenvoer 7, Blok A-Box 7001, BE-3000 Leuven, Belgium; Wuhan University, School and Hospital of Stomatology, Ministry of Education, The State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Basic Science of Stomatology (Hubei-MOST) & Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedicine, Wuhan, PR China.
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: KU Leuven (University of Leuven), Department of Oral Health Sciences, BIOMAT & University Hospitals Leuven Dentistry, Kapucijnenvoer 7, Blok A-Box 7001, BE-3000 Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: De Munck
authors.affiliation: KU Leuven (University of Leuven), Department of Oral Health Sciences, BIOMAT & University Hospitals Leuven Dentistry, Kapucijnenvoer 7, Blok A-Box 7001, BE-3000 Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Kirsten
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Van Landuyt
authors.affiliation: KU Leuven (University of Leuven), Department of Oral Health Sciences, BIOMAT & University Hospitals Leuven Dentistry, Kapucijnenvoer 7, Blok A-Box 7001, BE-3000 Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Mariano
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pedano
authors.affiliation: Wuhan University, School and Hospital of Stomatology, Ministry of Education, The State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Basic Science of Stomatology (Hubei-MOST) & Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedicine, Wuhan, PR China.
authors.forename: Zhi
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: KU Leuven (University of Leuven), Department of Oral Health Sciences, BIOMAT & University Hospitals Leuven Dentistry, Kapucijnenvoer 7, Blok A-Box 7001, BE-3000 Leuven, Belgium. Electronic address: bart.vanmeerbeek@kuleuven.be.
authors.forename: Bart
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Van Meerbeek
mesh_terms: D002118:Calcium; D003804:Dentin; D006801:Humans; D019279:Resin Cements; D012823:Silicate Cement
chemical_list: D019279:Resin Cements; D012823:Silicate Cement; D002118:Calcium
keywords: Calcium silicate; Cement; Dentin; EPMA; Interface; Micro-Raman; Re-mineralization