Characterising the penetrability of the enamel subsurface lesion following dietary erosion

As the population ages and the prevalence of dental decay and gum disease reduces, people are increasingly retaining their teeth into later life. While this is a desirable pattern, an emerging problem is the management of progressive loss of tooth structure through chemical dissolution over an individual’s lifespan. Current preventative technologies fail to target subsurface enamel damage associate with an acid exposure. In this proposal we aim to quantify the penetrability of the semi-porous enamel surface that results following dental erosion. Using monodispersed magnetic nanoparticles and controlled magnetic fields to draw the particles into the affected enamel surface we can the using sub-micron XRF to map the erosion lesion and interpret both the depth and size of the porous network structure. The findings will help inform the development of the required material properties for new remineralizing technologies to repair damaged teeth.