COMPARISON OF CHILDREN'S FOLLOW-ON INSTANT POWDERED COW'S MILK FORMULA, BUFFALO MILK FORMULA AND CHICKEN-BASED FORMULA ON ENAMEL MICROHARDNESS OF BOVINE TEETH IN VITRO

Dental caries are a major public health problem worldwide. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of children's follow-on instant powdered cow's milk formula, buffalo milk formula and a chicken-based formula on microhardness of bovine enamel with artificial caries-like lesions. Forty bovine teeth were each placed in acrylic blocks and the enamel surfaces were polished to create flat 5 x 5 millimeter surfaces. The teeth surfaces were then demineralized using 0.1M lactic acid (pH 4.5) to achieve an enamel microhardness of 35-65 Vickers Hardness Numbers (VHN). All specimens were then randomly allocated into one of 4 groups (n=10/group). For remineralization, each group was soaked in a different kind of milk formula for 2 hours at 37 degrees C except group 1 which was a negative control (artificial saliva) group. Group 2 was soaked in Murrah (TM) buffalo milk formula (a positive control), group 3 in S-26-Promil-Gold (TM) (cow's milk formula) and group 4 in a chicken-based formula (Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University). The microhardness of the specimens was then measured again. Data were analyzed using a one-way ANOVA and paired t-test with a 95% confidence interval. After exposure to the formula, the mean VHN for each study group was significantly higher (paired t-test, p<0.05) except for group 1 (p=0.345). The mean VHN for the the Murrah (TM) buffalo milk formula, the chicken-based formula and the S-26-Promil-Gold (TM) formula group were not significantly different from each other (one-way ANOVA, p>0.05). In conclusion, S-26-Promil-Gold (TM) follow-on cow milk formula, Murrah (TM) buffalo milk formula and the chicken-based formula all increased bovine enamel microhardness after soaking for 2 hours.