Determining the wettability of dental enamel by the new method of contact angle

Abstract

We investigated the ability of the sessile drop method (SDM) to determine the surface characteristics of human dental enamel. We found that the SDM was useful for measuring the contact angle of both hydrophilic and hydrophobic surfaces. The SDM indicated that the enamel surface treated with sodium fluoride or acidulated phosphate fluoride solutions became hydrophilic, while stannous fluoride treatment made it hydrophobic. Furthermore, the enamel surface exposed to laser irradiation also became hydrophobic.