Sesame extraction gel as an agent for prevention of dental caries: An in-vitro study

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Sesame has a high content of calcium. Regarding to the lack of adequate data about its remineralizing potential, we conducted this study to evaluate the surface hardness of enamel exposed to sesame extraction gel in comparison to artificial saliva and fluoride.METHODS: After mounting and polishing twenty-four caries-free human premolars, the baseline microhardness was recorded. Subsequently, decalcification was accomplished by immersing into cola, after which the surface hardness was recorded again. Ultimately, the samples were divided into three groups, which were treated by either the sesame gel (SG), artificial saliva (AS) or the fluoride gel (FG). The final microhardness was assessed again. The repeated measure analysis of variance (ANOVA) was employed for comparison of baseline (B), decalcified (R) and remineralized (R) hardness while the one-way ANOVA followed by least significant difference test was used for comparison of different remineralizing agents.RESULTS: There was significant difference among the teeth at baseline, after decalcification and after treatment by experimental solutions (P < 0.001 and P = 0.002 for pair wise comparison of B/D and D/R, respectively). Moreover, after remineralizing treatment, there was no significance difference between the solutions (P = 0.350, P = 0.150 and P = 0.610 for pair-wise comparisons of SG-FG, SG-AS, FG-AS, respectively). However, the mean microhardness value was increasing in that order.CONCLUSION: Although treating the decalcified enamel by sesame extraction enhanced its microhardness, there was no significant difference between sesame, fluoride and artificial saliva when they were applied for just 15 min.