Nanoscale characterization of the impact of beverages on the enamel surface of human teeth

TL;DR

This study uses atomic force microscopy to quantify how soft drinks cause early mechanical and morphological damage to human enamel, revealing increased roughness and decreased elasticity with longer exposure.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed nanoscale analysis of early enamel erosion caused by soft drinks, highlighting changes in surface roughness and mechanical properties.

Findings

Surface roughness increases with immersion time.

Elastic modulus of enamel decreases after soft drink exposure.

Enamel structure shows clear erosion signs after one hour.

Abstract

Here we quantitatively evaluate the early stages of mechanical and morphological changes of polished human enamel surfaces induced by soft drinks using atomic force microscopy. With an increase of the immersion time in soft drinks, we found a significant increase of surface roughness (Ra) and a considerable decrease of elastic modulus (E) of the enamel. The prismatic structure of enamel was clearly observed after a one-hour immersion in Coca-Cola, which shows its strong erosion effect. A high surface roughness of enamel results in a high chance of cavities due to easier bacterial adhesion on rougher surface, while a drastic deterioration of the mechanical properties of the enamel weakens its protection property. Our findings show the variation of enamel surface at the very beginning stage of etching process by acidic drinks, which can also be applicable to the etching mechanism of enamel surface by other sources.