Intraoral mineralization of abraded dental enamel.

The iodide permeability (Ip) of abraded bovine enamel increased after short exposure to an acid buffer and decreased after short exposure to a mineralizing solution. Intraoral exposure gave a marked decrease in Ip after one h and a continued lesser decrease after two and three h. In vitro exposure to fresh and dialyzed saliva and various undersaturated solutions indicated that the intraoral decrease was due to mineralization rather than to pellicle formation. Analysis of the data also indicated that part of the mineral formed intraorally was more loosely bound to the enamel than that formed from an inorganic mineralizing solution. The rapid rate of the initial phase of intraoral mineralization shown in this study reveals a powerful mechanism for protecting the dentition against demineralization.