Effect of natural gel product on bovine dentin erosion in vitro

Objective: to evaluate the efficacy of neem (azadirachta indica) experimental gel for the prevention of erosive wear on bovine dentin,in vitro. material and methods: one hundred dentin blocks were allocated into 5 experimental groups (20 samples each): c (control group,without gel); cg (control group,only base gel); f (fluoride gel,1.23% naf; ph 4.1,dentsply; brazil); n (neem gel,10% neem extract; ph 4.1,manipulation); nf (neem+fluoride gel,10% neem extract and 1.23% naf; ph 4.1,manipulation). the blocks were stored in artificial saliva for 24 hours. after this,they were submitted to six alternating re- and demineralization cycles. the blocks were analyzed for wear (profilometry). the results were submitted to statistical analysis by anova and tukey tests (p<0.05). results: the mean wear (±sd,μm) was shown as follows in groups: c (13.09±0.99),cg (10.60±1.99),f (10.90±1.44),n (12.68±1.13) and nf (10.84±1.65). all gels showed some preventive action when compared with control group. however,significant differences were found only between neem+fluoride gel and fluoride gel. conclusion: a single application of a neem-containing fluoride gel reduced dentin erosion,thus it is a possible alternative in reducing dental wear. further research should investigate the action mechanism and the synergism between them.