Anti-cariogenic effect of a cetylpyridinium chloride-containing nanoemulsion.

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this pilot study was to investigate the anticaries activity of a nanoemulsion composed of soybean oil, water, Triton X-100 and cetylpyridinium chloride.

METHODS

Tooth blocks (3 mm length x 3 mm width x 2 mm thickness) were cut from smooth surfaces of selected molar teeth using a water-cooled diamond wire saw. The blocks were randomly assigned to three experimental groups: (A) nanoemulsion, (B) 0.12% chlorhexidine gluconate, and (C) no treatment. The formation of dental caries in human tooth enamel was tested using a continuous flow dual-organism (Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacillus casei), biofilm model, which acts as an artificial mouth and simulates the biological and physiological activities observed within the oral environment. Experimental groups A and B were treated with their respective solutions once daily for 30 s on each occasion, while group C received no treatment. 10% sucrose was supplied every 6 h for 6 min to simulate meals and pH cycling. The experiment lasted for 5 days, and the tooth blocks were harvested and processed for demineralization assessment using transverse microradiography (TMR).

RESULTS

For both lesion depth and mineral loss, statistical analysis indicated that Emulsion was significantly lower than Control and Chlorhexidine, and Chlorhexidine was significantly lower than Control.

CONCLUSIONS

We conclude that cetylpyridinium-containing nanoemulsions appear to present a feasible means of preventing the occurrence of early caries.