151 - Effect of Novel Amelotin Coated Hydroxyapatite Nanoparticles on the Remineralization of Artificial Carious Lesions in vitro

Purpose: The purpose of this in vitro study was to investigate the effect of amelotin-hydroxyapatite nanoparticles (AMTN-HAP) on the remineralization of enamel white spot lesions.  Amelotin (AMTN) is a protein expressed during the maturation process of amelogenesis that has been found to be an important promoter in the mineralization and is a potential target in the development therapeutic strategies for caries control. 

Methods: Healthy extracted human third molars were demineralized in a lactic acid buffer (pH= 4.5) for 7 days at 37 °C to create non-cavitated WSL. The demineralization profile of artificially induced WSL was compared to naturally occurring WSL. The WSL were either left untreated, treated with recombinant AMTN, hydroxyapatite nanoparticles (HAP), or AMTN-HAP for 2 hours. WSL were imaged using micro-CT and optical coherence tomography (OCT) and mineral density and lesion depth were the primary outcomes.

Results: The non-cavitated WSL lesions had an average mineral density of 1.57 +/- 0.21 g/cm³ and lesion depth of 167.76 +/- 0.03 um. Compared to naturally occurring WSL, the artificially induced WSL were more uniform in terms of mineral density and depth. Our preliminary results show that the application of AMTN-HAP to artificial WSLs produced a statistically significant increase in mineral density and a reduction in lesion depth compared to the control as measured by micro-CT.

Conclusion: AMTN-HAP may be a novel therapeutic strategy for the remineralization of WSL, particularly in high caries risk patients where the unintended ingestion of fluoride may pose a concern.