Enamel erosion caused by the effervescent acid powder in Tiritón ice cream: An in vitro study

The aim of this study was to visualize the erosive effect on human dental enamel of effervescent acid powder in the Tiritón ice cream (Savory, Nestle, Vevey, Switzerland). The erosive potential of Tiritón ice cream was determined in in vitro conditions by submitting 5 enamel pieces from 3 healthy first molars. The samples were submitted to the mixture of saliva from a girl without cavity incidence and the effervescent powder in the Tiritón ice cream, at 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 seconds, then the results were measured by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and measurement of pH. All specimens showed pH 3.0. SEM showed increasing degrees of erosion with longer periods of exposure. The Tiritón ice cream generates a much larger acid solution than necessary for the onset of the dissolution of enamel which subsequently causes susceptibility to dental cavities and erosion, higher than reported for other candies. The images obtained by SEM made possible to visualize clearly the erosive effect produced by the effervescent acid powder in periods of exposure of less than a minute.