Method of visualizing and quantifying remineralization
A method of assessing and/or quantifying remineralization in a tooth model by exposing a tooth model to calcium and a calcium-binding fluorophore either sequentially or simultaneously under conditions sufficient to produce a remineralized/demineralized tooth model; exposing the remineralized/demineralized tooth model to a non-calcium binding fluorophore to produce an enhanced tooth model; and assessing and/or quantifying remineralization, demineralization, or both on the enhanced tooth model by determining the location and extent of calcium binding fluorophore and non-calcium binding fluorophore on the enhanced test tooth sample.
1. A method of assessing remineralization and/or demineralization in a tooth model comprising the steps of:
(a) exposing a tooth model to calcium and a calcium-binding fluorophore comprising calcein, either sequentially or simultaneously, under conditions sufficient to produce a remineralized/demineralized tooth model;
(b) exposing the remineralized/demineralized tooth model of step (a) to a non-calcium binding fluorophore comprising sulforhodamine B and/or at least one rhodamine to produce an enhanced tooth model; and
(c) assessing remineralization, demineralization, or both on the enhanced tooth model by determining the presence, location and/or relative magnitude of the calcium binding fluorophore and the non-calcium binding fluorophore on the enhanced tooth model.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein said assessing step (c) comprises determining the location of calcium binding fluorophore and non-calcium binding fluorophore on the enhanced tooth model.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein said assessing step (c) comprises visualizing and quantifying the remineralization, demineralization, or both by measuring fluorescence light emitted from the calcium binding fluorophore and the non-calcium binding fluorophore and creating an image based thereon.
4. The method of claim 3 wherein said tooth model comprises a human or bovine tooth.
5. The method of claim 4 wherein said tooth model has natural or artificial lesions formed therein.
6. The method of claim 1 wherein said exposing step (a) comprises exposing said tooth model to an oral care composition followed by exposing said tooth model to calcium and a calcium-binding fluorophore under remineralization conditions to measure the effect of the oral care composition on remineralization on the tooth model.
7. The method of claim 1 wherein said exposing step (a) comprises exposing the tooth model to demineralization conditions sufficient to produce a demineralized tooth model.
8. The method of claim 1 wherein said exposing step (a) comprises exposing the tooth model to both remineralization and demineralization conditions.
9. The method of claim 1 wherein said assessing step (c) comprises visualizing remineralization, demineralization, or both using time of flight secondary ion mass spectrometry.
10. The method of claim 1 wherein said assessing step (c) comprises visualizing remineralization, demineralization, or both by parsing individual rows and/or column vectors out of an image.