The object of this study was to evaluate the decalcifying ability of some complex forming agents present in the dental plaque, when applied topically to enamel and dentin surfaces under neutral pH conditions in vitro. Some preliminary experiments were carried out on freshly extracted young permanent teeth with neutralized plaque material undergoing glycolysis. The decalcifying effect of sodium salts of amino acids and lactic acid was also studied in the region of neutral pH. Eighty-eight freshly extracted human permanent teeth were prepared using a specially designed window technique. One half of the experimental areas was exposed to the respective agents, while the other half served as a control. The decalcifying effect was estimated by means of the 32P uptake. The results showed that the agents tested were able to decalcify enamel and dentin surfaces at neutral pH. On the basis of these findings, a modified caries hypothesis is proposed which suggests that decalcification is mainly initiated upon the intake of carbohydrates and is a combined effect of acid dissolution during the low pH phase and complex forming agents while the plaque is neutral, a number of complex forming substances being formed by the breakdown of proteins.

Keywords:
Caries, Demineralization, Complex, formation
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© 1971 S. Karger AG, Basel
1971
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