Dental enamel dissolution after alendronate treatment

Bisphosphonates are synthetic drugs structurally similar to pyrophosphate in which the P-O-P is replaced by a P-C-P group. This chemical group makes bisphosphonates resistant to hydrolysis by physiological phosphatase and causes the high binding affinity of biphosphonates to calcium atoms of apatite crystals. Several "in vitro" studies were carried out using demineralizing solutions, such as lactic, acetic or citric acids. These solutions were able to cause the release of mineral ions like Ca++ or PO4--- and to induce demineralization beside several alterations of enamel to, or even the same as clinically detectable caries lesions. The use of alendronate may represent an initial different approach to obtain enamel surfaces able to resist lactic acid attacks. This study evaluated the effect of treatment with 10 mM alendronate solution on human dental enamel subjected to an acid challenge in a demineralizing acidic solution.