Effects of acids used in the microabrasion technique: microhardness and confocal microscopy analysis

Background: This study evaluated the effects of the acids used in the microabrasion on enamel. Material and Methods: Seventy enamel/dentine blocks (25 mm 2 ) of bovine incisors were divided into 7 groups (n=10). Experimental groups were treated by active/passive application of 35% H 3 PO 4 (E1/E2) or 6.6% HCl (E3/ E4). Control groups were treated by microabrasion with H 3 PO 4 +pumice (C5), HCl+silica (C6), or no treatment (C7). The superficial (SMH) and cross-sectional (CSMH; depths of 10, 25, 50, and 75 μm) microhardness of enamel were analyzed. Morphology was evaluated by confocal laser-scanning microscopy (CLSM). Data were analyzed by analysis of variance (Proc Mixed), Tukey, and Dunnet…