An evaluation of ultrasonic water extract of ginger onmicrohardness and microscopic features of enamel carieslike lesions, compared to fluoridated agent(An in vitro study)

A. Al-Obaidi, Wesal; S. Al-Azawi, Namir

	An evaluation of ultrasonic water extract of ginger onmicrohardness and microscopic features of enamel carieslike lesions, compared to fluoridated agent(An in vitro study)
Journal of baghdad college of dentistry
Article 1, Volume 23, Issue 4, 2011, Pages 148-152
Authors
Wesal A. Al-Obaidi; Namir S. Al-Azawi
Abstract
ABSTRACTBackground: Ginger (Zingiber Officinale) is one of the most commonly used herbal supplements. Ginger has beenused by traditional Chinese and Indian medicine for over (25) centuries for various medical purposes includingsedation of dental pain and inflammation. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of differentconcentrations of ultrasonic water extract of ginger on the microhardness of enamel surfaces compared with that ofsodium fluoride and de-ionized water (control neutral) in addition to the examination of the microscopic changes.Materials and Methods: Teeth sample consisted of (31) healthy upper first premolars extracted from (11- 14) years oldpatients. One tooth was directly used for microscopic examination of sound enamel, while the remaining teeth wererandomly divided into five groups, four study groups and one control group. The initiation procedure of caries likelesion on the enamel surface was repeated for successive ten days. While microscopic examination and Vicker’smicrohardness testing were accomplished for teeth of selected groups before and after pH cycling and aftertreatment with selected agents.Results: Ultrasonic water extract of ginger in concentrations of (0.5%, 1% and 5%) and sodium fluoride weresuccessful in the elevation of the microhardness values of demineralized enamel surfaces, this elevation wasstatistically highly significant for ginger extract at (0.5%, 1%, 5% and sodium fluoride). Although, none of the aboveagents were able to increase the microhardness values to about the original values of sound enamel, but when thematter of change between reminerlization and demineralization was taken into account, ginger extract 0.5%concentration caused highest change, while ginger extract at 5% was resulted in lowest change in themicrohardness values. Microscopic examination of enamel ground sections under light microscope revealed thatzones of remineralization in enamel were seen after treatment with all concentrations (0.5%, 1% and 5%) of ultrasonicwater extract of ginger, and sodium fluoride, but it was more obvious with 0.5% concentration of ginger extract.Conclusions: The ginger extract at (0.5%) concentration was effective in producing the maximum change betweendemineralization and remineralization, thus ginger extract at this concentration could be tried as a safe mouth wash.Key wards: Microhardness, ultrasonic, ginger, caries, reminerlization. (J Bagh Coll Dentistry 2011;23(4):148-152).

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