In vitro evaluation of dentinal tubule occlusion by novamin (bioactive glass)

Aim–The aim of this study was to evaluate the dentinal tubule occluding ability of Novamin (bioactive glass) containing desensitizing dentifrices using scanning electron microscope. Materials and Methods – Forty-five 1mm thick dentine discs were obtained from orthodontically extracted human premolar teeth. Each disc was then split into two halves producing a total of 90 dentine specimens. One half of each disc was allotted to Group -1(Control group) and the other half was allotted to group-2 (Test group). GROUP 1: brushed without dentifrices. GROUP 2: brushed with dentifrices containing Novamin. After brushing for 2 minutes twice a day, the specimens were stored in artificial saliva. Specimens were analyzed after 7 days under SEM. Results – The novamin containing desensitizing agent significantly resulted in effective dentinal tubule occlusion. 91.5% of the dentinal tubules showed complete dentinal tubule occlusion, 6.61% showed partial occlusion and 1.89% remained unoccluded. Conclusion - The inclusion of novamin into a toothpaste formulation may be an effective approach to treat dentinal hypersensitivity as Novamin showed high percentage of dentinal tubule occlusion by precipitating hydroxycarbonate apatite over the entire dentine surface.