Nano Biomedicine
ORIGINAL ARTICLE

The Effects of Two Different Concentrations of Oxalic Acid on the Microstructure and Constituent Elements of the Enamel Surface

Airi UEDA1, Tomoharu OKAMURA1, Chihoko IKEDA1, Hiroaki TANIMOTO2, Kenzo YASUO2, Katsuhiro SUZUKI1, Yukino HISANO1, Takehiro YOSHIKANE1, Kazuyo YAMAMOTO2, and Kazuya TOMINAGA1


1Department of Oral Pathology, 2Department of Operative Dentistry, School of Dentistry,
Osaka Dental University, Osaka, Japan
Nano Biomed 2025; 17(2): 85-90, (Dec 30, Nano Biomedicine)
Synopsis
The objective of this study was to clarify the effects of two different concentrations of oxalic acid on the microstructure and composition of the enamel surface. Enamel sections were prepared from bovine mandibular incisors. The control group did not react the enamel samples with the oxalic acid solution. The experimental group exposed tooth specimens to oxalic acid solutions at two concentrations (0.45 mg/mL and 12.6 mg/mL). The reaction time between the oxalic acid solution and the tooth specimens was set at 90 minutes. Visual inspection of the tooth specimen surfaces was performed, surface microstructure was observed using scanning electron microscopy, and elemental analysis was conducted using SEM-energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. In the experimental group, prismatic crystalline structures formed on the enamel surface under all conditions, and carbon and oxygen were detected from these structures. Oxalic acid formed large amounts of calcium oxalate crystals on the enamel surface in a concentration-dependent manner, with their morphology and size varying with concentration.

Key words: oxalic acid, enamel, crystals, microstructure, elemental mapping
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DOI: 10.11344/nano.17.85

Ueda A, Okamura T, Ikeda C, Tanimoto H, Yasuo K, Suzuki K, Hisano Y, Yoshikane T, Yamamoto K, Tominaga K. The effects of two different concentrations of oxalic acid on the microstructure and constituent elements of the enamel surface. Nano Biomed 2025; 17: 85-90.