IMPACT OF AMMONIUM HEXAFLUOROSILICATE ON REMINERALIZATION OF ROOT CARIES

Abstract

Ammonium hexafluorosilicate solution has gained attention as a fluoride-based compound potentially preventing dental caries and treating dentin hypersensitivity without discoloration. This study aimed to evaluate ammonium hexafluorosilicate's efficacy in remineralizing demineralized human dentin compared to sodium fluoride and deionized water. Fifty-seven sound, permanent human maxillary first premolars collected from Iraqi patients, two teeth for Scanning Electron Microscopy and the remaining divided randomly into 5 groups: control (-ve) represented by deionized water, control (+ve) represented by 2% sodium fluoride, and three study groups with different concentrations 10000, 15000, 20000 ppm of ammonium hexafluorosilicate respectively, one tooth from each group selected for Scanning Electron Microscopy and the other for Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy. The teeth were tested for baseline reading, after demineralization and after treatment with selected concentrations of ammonium hexafluorosilicate, sodium fluoride, and deionized water according to their group’s design by using Energy dispersive Spectroscopy in al-Khora company in Baghdad city. Data were analyzed by using Shapiro Wilk, Repeated Measure Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) with Tukey's HSD. There was a significant increase in the weight percentage of (calcium, phosphorous, and fluoride) in the treatment stage as compared with the demineralized dentin in all the study groups. the 20000-ppm group, exhibited the highest increase in these key remineralization elements, confirming previous Scanning Electron Microscopy findings. Compared to the demineralized state, Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy analysis showed dentin treated with ammonium hexafluorosilicate exhibited a significant increase in the weight percentage of key remineralization elements: calcium, phosphorus, and fluoride. The highest positive change was observed in the group treated with 20,000 ppm ammonium hexafluorosilicate; these are supported by Scanning Electron Microscopy findings.