The Effect of Exposure to Dried Fruits on the Surface Micro-Hardness of Dental Enamel.

Background: This study investigated the effect of exposure of enamel surfaces to dried fruit suspension including dates, raisins, and dried apricot on their microhardness changes. Methods: In this in vitro study, fifty enamel sections of bovine incisor teeth were mounted inside the acrylic resin so that the enamel surface would not be exposed to the acrylic. After surface polishing, the initial micro-hardness was measured by a Vickers hardness-testing machine. The samples were randomly placed into five different solutions including apricot, raisin and date suspension, citric acid (positive control) or sorbitol (negative control), 5 times a day, each time for 5 minutes, and then in artificial saliva for 60 minutes. This process was repeated for 20 days. Eventually, the final micro-hardness of the samples was measured. Micro-hardness changes between groups were compared through ANOVA and TUKEY test using SPSS 23 software with a significance level of P<0.05. Results: After exposure, the micro-hardness of the teeth was significantly reduced in all three suspensions prepared from dried fruit (P<0.05). Apricot and date had the highest and lowest effects on reducing the micro-hardness of teeth, respectively. Sorbitol solution did not have a significant effect on changing the micro-hardness of teeth (P=0.13). Conclusion: The suspension of studied fruits (apricot, raisin, date) causes a significant reduction in micro-hardness of the dental enamel surface, indicating the negative effect of frequent consumption of dried fruits over long periods of time on dental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]