Histopathology of experimentalin vivocaries around silicate fillings

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Abstract
Caries was produced around 18 silicate fillings in permanent teeth in 12 patients, aged 14—60 years. The cavities were lined with 1 layer of Tubulitec® (Dental Therapeutics AB, Sweden), and insulated with a zinc phosphate base. The teeth were scheduled for extraction for orthodontic and prosthodontic reasons, and the experimental period ranged from 34—326 days with a mean at 131 days. Four teeth served as controls of the effect of the preparation procedure. Following extraction, ground sections were prepared, and examined mainly by polarized light microscopy and microradiography. Except for minor differences, the pathogenesis of the observed in vivo lesions was found to correspond closely to that of experimental in vitro caries around silicate fillings. Outer lesions occurred in 14 of the 32 »secondary caries risks» and in most cases revealed only slight demineralization. A cavity wall lesion was observed in the enamel in 24 out of 31 risks, and in the dentine in 3 out of 27 risks. Hypermineralization of enamel and dentinal walls ocurred in about one fifth of the cases. The low susceptibility to experimental caries associated with silicate fillings is explained through an action of fluoride released from the silicate material. The mechanism of this action is discussed.