Browsing by Author "Almulhim, Almothana"

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Development of an in-vitro model for assessment of enamel demineralisation around orthodontic attachments for clear aligners treatment
(University of Leeds, 2024-08) Almulhim, Almothana; Wood, David; Davies, Robert Philip Wynn; Altaie, Asmaa
Background: Improvements in dental materials and digital technology have produced removable, clear orthodontic appliances, consisting of consecutive semi-elastic polyurethane aligners able to force movement by placing composite resin attachments on the surface of the teeth. Orthodontic appliances have a history of causing enamel demineralisation because of the restoration used in treatment as an anchorage. Therefore, the study aims for the first time to develop an in-vitro model to measure the amount of enamel demineralisation around orthodontic composite attachments used in clear aligner treatment. Methods: Five premolar teeth obtained from the tissue bank received a baseline analysis of enamel density using Micro-CT and DIAGNOdent pen. Composite resin was placed, and a 3D-printed base model with an aligner was produced for the teeth to replicate clear aligner treatment. The samples were immersed in demineralistion and remineralisation solutions and mineral content reanalysed. Results: The study successfully produced a model that mimics a real human ridge with a gingival line and adjacent teeth. The chosen demineralisation solution was not able to produce a noticeable change in enamel mineralisation even with the gap found under the composite resin in Micro-CT; the DIAGNOdent pen proved an unreliable tool in this study. Conclusion: This study has laid the foundations for work on demineralisation associated with clear aligners, leaving future studies the ability to explore the gap that has been found and trying to further optimise demineralisation and remineralisation protocols, e.g. pH-cycling.
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