Abstract: Objective: To study the effects of ethanol extract of cucumis sativus seeds (CSE) on remineralization of early enamel caries. Methods: Bovine incisors were put into the demineralization solution (pH=5) to form the artifical enamel decay models. 52 bovine teeth with hardness of about 280 HV were selected and divided into 5 groups in randomly: 2, 10, 20 g/L ethanol extract of cucumis sativus seeds groups, 20 g/L NaF (positive control) group, and deionized water (negative control) group. Microhardness was tested and electron-probe was used to test the element of enamel surface before and after treating with different solutions. Results: After the remineralization treatment by three different concentrations of CSE and NaF, the enamel hardness in these groups was significantly increased than that before treatment (P<0.05), while the deionized water group showed no significant difference compared as before (P>0.05). Microhardness in different CSE groups was increased with the concentration of CSE increased, among which, the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). Electron probe showed there was compact spherical homogeneous precipitation deposited on the surface of enamel in NaF group. While in deionized water group, the typical honeycomb structure was observed in the surface of enamel. In CSE gruops, irregular sediments were observed to deposit on the surface of decalcified enamel. The higher the concentration of CSE was, the more sediment was deposited on the surface. Conclusion: NaF had the best effect on early enamel recalculation. Suitable concentrations of ethanol extract of CSE have remineralization effects on artificial demineralized enamel. The best effect was obtained by 20 g/L ethanol extract of CSE, followed by 10 g/L and 2 g/L.

Key words: ethanol extract of cucumis sativus seeds, earlier enamel caries, remineralization, microhardness electron probe