Although in recent years, caries incidence has been reduced significantly, due predominantly to an increased use of fluoride, caries still remains a major health problem. The continued use of fluorides in their present form may have only limited value with respect to better levels of caries prevention. Since calcifying fluids are significantly more effective in the remineralization of carious lesions relative to fluoride alone, they may prove to be an important tool in combating caries in the future. Because of this, it is necessary to perform studies to develop new and better calcifying fluids and examine the mechanisms by which they work. This study will examine the effects of four temperature regimes on the two remineralizing fluids for which our group has the most data. Eight different combinations of temperature and calcifying fluids will be tested. The temperatures to be tested are 15 degrees, 25 degrees, 37 degrees and 50 degrees C. The fluids used in this experiment will contain 1mM and 3mM calcium with a calcium to phosphate ratio of 1.63. The differences in effects of the eight experimental regimens will be analyzed using polarized light microscopy and ultrastructural techniques developed by our group. This study will indicate the optimum temperature for remineralization using these two calcifying fluids and will determine whether more work in the area of temperature relationships is worth while.
