Effects of air-drying in vitro on human dentine permeability

The effects of evaporation produced by air blasts of 0, 0.5, 2 or 5 min to dentine in vitro were evaluated by measuring dentine hydraulic conductance before and after each trial. When the tubules were filled with water, even prolonged evaporation had no effect on dentine permeability. Tubules filled with physiological salt solution produced a time-dependent decrease in dentine permeability. Tubules filled with 1.5 per cent albumin in water gave the largest reductions in dentine permeability. These effects were more marked in unetched as opposed to acid-etched dentine. The results suggest that part of the reduction in dentine sensitivity produced clinically by prolonged air blasts may be due to precipitation of organic and inorganic constituents of dentinal fluid at the surface.