Effect of Acid Beverage on the Microhardness of Primary Tooth Enamel In Vitro.

Purpose: To assess the effects of a soft drink, a soybean-based apple juice and strawberry juice on the superficial and deep microhardness of primary tooth enamel. Methods: Sixty primary teeth were divided according to the beverages and a control group (artificial saliva). Immersion cycles were carried out under agitation (five minutes three times a day over 60 days). Superficial microhardness measurements were taken after seven, 15, 30, 45, and 60 days. Teeth were cut for deep microhardness evaluation. Analysis of variance and Tukey's test (95 percent confidence interval) were used for data analysis. Teeth were scanned by electron microscopy for quantitative analysis. Results: The soybean drink led to a significant decrease in the superficial microhardness ( P Conclusion: All beverages affected the microhardness of primary teeth enamel. The soft drink was the most harmful to enamel among the assessed beverages.