3D measurement techniques can more accurately assess the impact of tooth wear, according to researchers from Kings College London Dental Institute.
They subjected 80 polished midcoronal enamel sections to 10 wear cycles. Each cycle consisted of remineralization for two hours in artificial saliva, followed by 10 minutes' immersion in one of four acidic fruit drinks or distilled water, then toothbrush abrasion with a nonfluoridated toothpaste. The resulting wear scars were measured using 2D and 3D techniques and surface-matching software.
According to the researchers, there were no statistically significant differences between the 2D step heights measurements from the exposure to the four acidic drinks (p = 0.99), but there were differences with distilled water (p = 0.01).
Meanwhile, the 3D measurements showed that two drinks produced more wear compared to the others and water when the whole surface and volume exposed to wear was accounted for (p = 0.01).
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