I. Objective
There are many published reports on the effects of the soft tissue due to volatile sulfur compounds°°such as, hydrogen sulfide (H2S), methyl mercaptan (CH3SH), dimethyl sulfide ((CH3) 2S)), which are responsible for bad breath, produced by metabolism of oral anaerobes. However, there is no report related to the effects of these sulfur compounds on the dental hard tissues that is exposed at the same time. In this study, we investigated the effects of the volatile sulfur compounds on dental hard tissues and, the crystalline structure of enamel hydroxyapatite exposed to hydrogen sulfide was observed morphologically using TEM
II. Materials & Methods
Extracted human teeth (15teeth) were bisected at the cervical portion. Then, the exposed cut surface of the coronal part was blocked with wax. This was followed by cutting the coronal part longitudinally into 2 equal parts. Half of each cut surface was coated with enamel varnish (control side) whereas the remaining half was left (experimental side) non-coated. Saturated hydrogen sulfide in saline (50ml) was prepared by bubbling for 30 minutes. The samples were stored immersed in the saturated hydrogen sulfide water in a closed vessel for 14 days, at a constant temperature of 37℃ After removal of the nail varnish, enamel surfaces of the samples were observed using TEM.
III. Results
The exposed enamel surface of the experiment sides demonstrated irregular hydroxyapatite crystal structure.
IV. Conclusion
As it is known, the main cause of demineralization and disintegration of dental hard tissues is due to acid derived from acidogenic bacteria. While the presence of volatile sulfur compounds in the oral cavity is common knowledge, the results of this study suggested that these sulfur compounds can also affect the dental hard tissues besides their effects on soft tissue or bad breath.
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