Dentin remineralization by niobium pentoxide blended eggshell derived nano hydroxyapatite

Dentin biomineralization with nanobiomaterials needs validation. This study aimed to analyze the remineralization potential of eggshell derived nano hydroxyapatite (ESnHA) with the addition of niobium pentoxide (Nb2O5) on demineralized dentin under in vitro pH cyclic conditions for 7, 14 and 28 days. ESnHA powder was synthesized by microwave processing method. ESnHA powder was incorporated with Nb2O5, ball milled and characterized. Results showed that ESnHA powder had close relation to stoichiometric ratio of HA. Dentin samples were prepared and their baseline microhardness was recorded. The dentin samples were demineralized and treated with artificial saliva, casein phosphopeptide-amorphous calcium phosphate (CPP-ACP), ESnHA and ESnHA-Nb. The mineral changes of treated dentin assessed by SEM-EDX demonstrated complete tubular occlusion on day 14 for ESnHA-Nb exhibiting a higher remineralization effect in a shorter period than artificial saliva, CPP-ACP and ESnHA. On 28th day complete tubular occlusion was observed with all the therapeutic agents except artificial saliva. A rise in Ca/P ratio was observed with ESnHA-Nb at all time intervals. Microhardness analysis of treated dentin surface showed a significant increase in hardness value on 28th day for ESnHA compared to CPP-ACP while ESnHA-Nb had substantial increase at all time periods signifying a higher potential to remineralize the demineralized dentin.