Enamel surface characteristics in early childhood caries: A comparative in vitro analysis with teeth of caries-free dentition.

PURPOSE: Early childhood caries (ECC) is a chronic, infectious, and transmissible condition with a complex multifactorial etiology, aspects of which remain unclear. This study aims to evaluate differences in enamel loss and surface roughness between primary teeth affected by ECC and those of caries-free dentition. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty-four extracted human primary incisors from two groups of children were allocated to two study groups: Group I (ECC-affected; n = 32) and Group II (caries-free; n = 32). All samples underwent artificial demineralization by immersion in 0.1 mol/L lactic acid (pH 5.3) at 37°C for 30 days. Postdemineralization, enamel loss and surface roughness were assessed using three-dimensional noncontact profilometry. Statistical analysis was performed using independent t -test. RESULTS: The mean depth of demineralization was significantly higher in the ECC affected group (9.04 ± 4.08 μm) compared to the caries-free group (4.45 ± 3.39 μm). Similarly, the mean surface roughness was higher in the ECC group (2.00 ± 0.79 μm) than in the N-ECC group (0.87 ± 0.59 μm). CONCLUSIONS: Primary teeth affected by ECC exhibit significantly greater enamel loss and surface roughness following demineralization. These findings suggest the presence of inherent structural enamel defects in ECC-affected teeth, which may contribute to their increased susceptibility to caries development in children.