Color stability and surface roughness of artificial teeth brushed with an experimental Ricinus communis toothpaste

Aim: To evaluate, in vitro, the effect of brushing with a Ricinus communis -based experimental toothpaste on color stability and surface roughness of artificial teeth. Methods: Ninety artificial teeth (maxillary central incisors) in different shades, light and dark (NatusDent Triple Pressing, Dentbras) were used. Initial color (Spectrophotometer Easyshade, VITA) and surface roughness (Rugosimeter Surfcorder SE 1700, Kosakalab) readouts were performed. After baseline measurements, samples were assigned to 10 groups (n=9) according to the artificial tooth shade and type of toothpaste used during the mechanical brushing test (Pepsodent, MAVTEC): Sorriso Dentes Brancos – SDB, Colgate Luminous White - CLW (Colgate-Palmolive), Close up White Now - CWN (Unilever), Trihydral - THL (Perland Pharmacos) and Ricinus communis - RCE (Experimental). After 29,200 cycles of brushing, corresponding to 2 years of brushing by a healthy individual, new color and roughness readouts of the specimens were performed. Data (before and after the tests) were statistically analyzed (2-way repeated measures ANOVA, Tukey, p<0.05). Results: RCE toothpaste produced the greatest color stability for dark tooth shade and the second best color stability for light tooth shade. For surface roughness alteration, there was no difference (p>0.05) for any tested toothpaste regardless of tooth shade. Conclusions: The experimental Ricinus communis toothpaste did not cause color and surface roughness alteration in the artificial teeth, and it may be considered a suitable option for denture cleaning.

Development of hydroxyapatite-based nanomaterials to enhance biological response of osteoblast cells for clinical application

Purpose: To develop a novel chitosan/gelatin-hydroxyapatite (CGHaP) microspheres for evaluating the biological response of pre-osteoblast cells. Methods: The microsphere was prepared by water-in-oil emulsion method. Cell proliferation was studied using AlamarBlue colorimetric assay and DAPI staining while alkaline phosphatase assay was carried out by colorimetric assay method. Chitosan microspheres as well as chitosan-hydroxyapatite microspheres was prepared and tested for biological response from MC3T3-E1 cell line. Results: The results showed that CGHaP promotes MC3T3-E1 cell proliferation and spread on the surface of microspheres. The cells were clustered with more actin filaments and well-linked with neighbouring cells or adjacent cells when cultured in CGHaP microspheres whereas fewer cells were spread on chitosan (CH) microspheres. CGHaP microspheres significantly (p < 0.05) promoted cell attachment, proliferation and extracellular matrix mineralization. CGHaP microspheres presented significantly (p < 0.02) higher calcium deposition (0.5 ng) than CH microspheres (0.28 ng). Specifically, CGHaP microspheres exhibited high ALP activity (8 units; 2-fold) compared to CH with 3 units, after 7 days of incubation. The results suggest that CGHaP possesses a great ability to facilitate bone ingrowth formation and possibility of good osteointegration in vivo. Conclusion: The nanomaterial enhances the proliferation of pre-osteoblast cells in tissue engineering microspheres. The outcome of this study may have a major impact on the development of novel nanomaterials for bone tissue engineering.