Supplementary Material for: Effects of Self-Assembling Peptide P11-4, Fluorides, and Caries Infiltration on Artificial Enamel Caries Lesions in vitro

The application of a self-assembling peptide on noncavitated caries lesions is supposed to be a feasible approach to facilitate remineralization and mask their unfavorable appearance. However, demineralizing conditions are common in the oral environment, so the aim of this pH-cycling study was to compare recommended and novel treatment methods regarding their ability to hamper demineralization and as a consequence mask artificial enamel caries lesions. Artificial caries lesions were prepared in bovine enamel and randomly allocated to 11 groups (n = 22). Treatments before pH-cycling were as follows: the application of a self-assembling peptide (Curodont™ Repair [C]), a low-viscosity resin (Icon® [I]), 2 fluoride solutions (10,000 ppm F-: Elmex fluid [E] and 43,350 ppm F-: Tiefenfluorid® [T]), and no intervention (N). During pH-cycling (28 days, 6 × 60 min demineralization/day) half of the specimens in each group were brushed (10 s; 2 ×/day) with either fluoride-free (named e.g., C0) or NaF (1,100 ppm F-; e.g., C1) dentifrice slurry. In another subgroup specimens were pH-cycled but not brushed (NNB). Differences in integrated mineral loss (ΔΔZ), lesion depth (ΔLD), and colorimetric values (ΔΔE) were calculated between values after pre-demineralization, surface treatment, and pH-cycling. Specimens of C0, C1, NNB, N0, N1, T0, and E0 showed significantly increased ΔZ and LD values after pH-cycling (p ≤ 0.003; paired t test). C0, C1, NNB, and N0 showed significantly higher changes in ΔΔZ than E1, I0, I1, and T1 (p < 0.001; ANOVA). Significantly reduced colorimetric values could only be observed for I1, I0, E1, and E0 after treatment and after pH-cycling (p ≤ 0.027; paired t test). In conclusion, under the conditions chosen only the application of a low-viscosity resin could mask caries lesions significantly, whereas self-assembling peptides could neither inhibit lesion progression nor mask the lesions considerably.

将自组装肽（self-assembling peptide）应用于无龋洞龋损，被认为是一种可行的促进再矿化并掩盖其外观缺陷的方法。然而，口腔环境中普遍存在脱矿条件，因此本pH循环实验（pH-cycling study）旨在对比推荐疗法与新型疗法抑制脱矿、进而掩盖人工釉质龋损的能力。研究人员在牛釉质上制备人工龋损，并随机分为11组（n = 22）。预脱矿前的处理方式如下：应用自组装肽（Curodont™ Repair [C]）、低黏度树脂（Icon® [I]）、两种氟化物溶液（10000 ppm F⁻：Elmex含氟液[E]，以及43350 ppm F⁻：Tiefenfluorid® [T]），以及空白对照（无干预，N）。在pH循环（28天，每日6次×60分钟脱矿）期间，每组半数标本每日以无氟（如命名为C0）或含NaF（1100 ppm F⁻；如命名为C1）牙膏浆刷牙（10秒，每日2次）；另有亚组仅进行pH循环而不刷牙（NNB）。分别在预脱矿、表面处理及pH循环后，计算积分矿物质损失（ΔΔZ）、病损深度（ΔLD）及比色值（ΔΔE）的差异。经pH循环后，C0、C1、NNB、N0、N1、T0及E0组的ΔZ与LD值均显著升高（p ≤ 0.003；配对t检验（paired t test））。C0、C1、NNB及N0组的ΔΔZ变化幅度显著高于E1、I0、I1及T1组（p < 0.001；方差分析（ANOVA））。仅I1、I0、E1及E0组在治疗后及pH循环后，比色值出现显著降低（p ≤ 0.027；配对t检验（paired t test））。综上，在本实验设定的条件下，仅低黏度树脂可显著掩盖龋损；而自组装肽既无法显著抑制病损进展，也无法有效掩盖龋损。