Influence of Type of Acid, pH, Molarity, and Saturation on Rate of Enamel Penetration

Abstract

Penetration was observed as a birefringence change in an enamel section. Penetration was proportional to time of etch. Cavitation occurred most frequently with citrate, less often with lactate and seldom with acetate. The penetration was greater with low pH and high molarity (except for anomalous behavior with citrate in the pH range of 4.0-4.4). Saturation seemed to be unimportant at the molarities studied. The rate of penetration was dependent on the quantity of unionized acid in the buffer (Penetration rate = (9.69 XHAC) 0.754).