Theobromine Effects on Enamel Surface Microhardness: In Vitro

Dental caries is still a dental health problem in Indonesia. Fluoride, one of the dental caries prevention materials but its safety and the danger of fluorosis is still debated. Theobromine is an alkaloid compounds contained in cocoa beans. Theobromine is believed to increase enamel microhardness with mineral changes in the enamel superficial layer. Objectives: To determine the influence of Theobromine on the enamel surface microhardness. Effective dose of theobromine to affect enamel hardness will be determined as well. Methods: This study used 40 premolar tooth crown pieces that were embedded in epoxy resin. Furthermore specimens were randomly divided into 4 groups, which were control (distilled water), theobromine 100mg/L (T100), theobromine 500mg/L (T500) and theobromine 1000mg/L (T1000). The specimens were immersed for 15 minutes and microhardness test was performerd using Knoop microhardness tester. Results: Increasing enamel microhardness was observed after treatment with four different theobromine concentration. The highest increased of enamel microhardness was shown in T1000 group and difference compared to other group were statistically significant (p 0.05). Conclusion: Theobromine is a potential dental caries prevention material due to its effect in improving the surface microhardness of tooth enamel.