Development and Preliminary In Vitro Evaluation of Paprika-based Disclosing Agent for Postorthodontic Composite Removal

Aims:The study aims to develop and assess a disclosing agent to enhance the efficient composite cleanup after orthodontic debonding. Materials and methods:The in vitro study evaluated paprika and curcumin-based staining solutions at 1, 0.5, and 0.1% concentrations.Composite attachments were prepared on extracted teeth and stained using paprika and curcumin in all three concentrations.The samples were washed and inspected.The change in color before and after staining was measured using E values.Comparisons of E values for three paprika concentrations were made using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and post hoc Bonferroni test.Zebrafish embryo assay assessed the staining agent's cytotoxicity.One-way ANOVA was used to compare the number of viable embryos in experimental and control groups throughout five time periods.The significance threshold was 0.05.Results: A 1% paprika solution produced the largest E in composites (24.07 1.35) and the lowest E on tooth surfaces (2.78 0.04); both values were statistically significant (p < 0.001).Curcumin exhibited insufficient staining and was omitted from the next investigation.Cytotoxicity testing indicated no significant changes in embryo viability between the 1% paprika solution and the controls (p > 0.05).Conclusion: A 1% paprika-derived disclosing agent could successfully distinguish composite remnants without staining the tooth surfaces.It did not display cytotoxic effects and has the potential to serve as a practical tool for postorthodontic cleanup.Clinical significance: A 1% paprika solution can be used clinically for the detection of orthodontic composite during debonding.This solution can also be used in the identification of old composite fillings without damaging the tooth structures.