Análise quantitativa da infiltração de quinolina em lesões cariosas naturais proximais de esmalte

Abstract

Immersion of natural enamel caries (NEC) in quinoline has been important for determining lesion size and mapping areas with different pore sizes, but quantitative volumetric data of the infiltration are not available. Here we provide first quantitative volumetric data of the volume infiltrated by quinoline (mostly < 50% of pore volume were infiltrated) in histological layers (including dark zone) of ground sections of NEC lesions (n = 20) and report that a parameter related to permeability predicted 60% of the variance of the volumetric infiltration. Distance from the original enamel surface was inversely related to the infiltrated volume. In most lesions the translucent zone was not the lesion front. Real-time 2D mapping of transport processes after immersion in quinoline revealed an early outward water flow and a late inward quinoline penetration, both following prisms paths parallel to the main axis of ground sections. New events of the nature of transport processes in ground sections of NEC lesions reported here can be explored to improve efficiency of both remineralizing agents and resin infiltrants for treatment of NEC.