Self-setting apatite cement hardens into a mass of single phase apatite when mixed with diluted phosphoric acid. Structurally this mass consists of two types of apatite, i.e. the seed apatite used as a setting accelerator and the matrix apatite formed afterward in the reaction of dicalcium phosphate dihydrate (DCPD) and tetracalcium phosphate (Te-CP). To investigate the dissolution behavior of self-setting apatite cement in detail, two types of
45Ca labeled apatite cement were prepared. In one, the seed apatite was labeled with
45Ca (
45Ca-HAp cement) and in the other the matrix apatite was labeled with
45Ca through use of
45Ca-DCPD (
45Ca-DCPD cement). Solubility, estimated from the concentration of
45Ca released in 1mM of organic acid (e.q. acetic, lactic, or citric acid) with initial pH adjusted to 4.0 at 37℃, was approximately zero for
45Ca-HAp cement, whereas the solubility of
45Ca-DCPD cement was approximately the same as unlabeled cements used so far. This finding suggests that dissolution of the matrix apatite governs dissolution of the set cement, though comparison of X-ray diffraction patterns and electron micrographs of the seed apatite and apatite in the set cement showed no essential difference in crystallinity and crystal shape. The fact that the matrix apatite was formed by enveloping the seed apatite may account for the preferential dissolution of matrix apatite. In synthetic saliva labeled with
45Ca having a degree of supersaturation with respect to apatite comparable to rest saliva,
45Ca concentration in solution decreased once the cement pellet was introduced. This finding clearly suggests that the set apatite cement has the ability to remineralize but not dissolve in synthetic saliva even if the degree of supersaturation with respect to apatite is relatively low.
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