The impact of airflow on enamel surface roughness and color change

Abstract

Background: In dentistry, esthetic restorations are vital. Adequate polishing can minimize color
changes of a tooth. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the Prophy‑Mate neo device,
which uses airflow, on surface roughness and color changes in enamel.
Materials and Methods: In this in-vitro study included 30 teeth immersed in tea solution for
7 days. The specimens were divided into three groups based on the polishing procedure (airflow
with calcium carbonate, airflow with sodium bicarbonate, and diamond paste). The whitening
procedure was performed according to the instructions for each powder of airflow (Prophy‑Mate
neo, NSK, Japan) and paste. After polishing, the specimens were again immersed in a tea solution
for another 7 days. Color assessment was carried out at baseline (T1) and after polishing (T2)
using the CIELab* system. In addition, the morphology of the enamel surface for each specimen
from each group was evaluated by profilometer at T1 and T2, and the paired t‑test and Tukey’s were
used to compare results between groups.
Results: The variation in surface roughness (Ra) between calcium carbonate (0.381 μm) and sodium
bicarbonate (0.447 μm) powders was not significant, but the performance of diamond paste was
significantly better. The difference between the secondary staining after polishing was lower than
the pigment absorption in the primary staining (before polishing) in the diamond paste group.
Conclusion: Overall, the study did not show any significant reduction in the amount of surface
roughness and color changes in airflow compared to traditional polishing methods. The cost and
services of the Prophy‑Mate neo device make it challenging to introduce airflow as an alternative
to conventional techniques (P<0.05).
Key Words: Airflow, enamel, polish, surface roughness

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mohammad moien Rezaei: Pubmed,Google Scholar