Objective:

The aim of this in vivo study was to evaluate the efficacy of low-viscosity light-cured resin infiltration on postorthodontic white spot lesions (WSLs) on incipient and advanced lesions using quantitative light-induced fluorescence (QLF).

Methods:

The study subjects were patients with clinically diagnosed postorthodontic WSLs (n=57). QLF images of the lesions were obtained using a QLF device (Inspektor-Pro, Amsterdam, The Netherlands) before any treatment. Images were processed using the built-in software (QLF patient v2.0.0.48), which produced fluorescence loss (ΔF1), lesion area (Area1), and impact (ΔF1 x Area1, ΔQ1) values. Lesions were categorized as incipient (−5<ΔF1<−12, n=14) or advanced (−12<ΔF1<−25, n=43). They were then infiltrated with low-viscosity resin (Icon-DMG, Hamburg, Germany) according to the manufacturer’s instructions. QLF imaging was repeated (ΔF2, Area2, and ΔQ2) from the same aspects assured by the relative software. Kolmogorov-Smirnov, Wilcoxon, and Mann-Whitney tests were used for data evaluation.

Results:

ΔF1 (−8.40±0.73) and Area1 (3.44±5.19) decreased to −6.58±0.88 and 0.18±0.33 for incipient lesions (p<0.001 and p=0.002, respectively). ΔF1 (−13.20±5.32) and Area1 (4.71±5.56) decreased to −7.51±2.7 and 0.29±1.86 for advanced lesions (p<0.001). When ΔF, lesion area, and ΔQ changes between the groups were compared, the decrease in ΔF was greater for advanced lesions (p<0.001), whereas the decrease in the lesion area and ΔQ was similar (p=0.690, p=0.291).

Conclusions:

Infiltration treatment provides improvement of WSLs in terms of fluorescence loss, lesion area, and impact for both incipient and advanced lesions, with the latter group presenting higher fluorescence loss reduction.

Keywords: Dental white spots, icon infiltrant, quantitative light-induced fluorescence