Letter To the Editor

Dear Dr Platt:

I read with interest the following manuscript: Torres CR, & Borges AB (2015) Color masking of developmental enamel defects: A case series Operative Dentistry 40(1) 25-33 (my special thanks to the authors for such a great clinical manuscript).

I have to disagree with the credit given to references 13 and 14 on page 26. The resin infiltration concept is at least 40 years old. Robinson and others¹ in 1976 etched enamel with hydrochloric acid (HCl) and infiltrated this etched enamel with a resorcinol-formaldehyde resin as a potential cariostatic treatment. Then, in 1987, Croll² used a clear resin sealant on etched enamel to saturate the surfaces with resin. Among several research papers on the topic of microabrasion followed by resin infiltration published in the 2000s, I would highlight two from the same research group. In 2007, Paris and others³ used confocal microscopy to (elegantly) study resin infiltration of carious lesions using 37% H₃PO₄ or 15% HCl to etch enamel, followed by immersion in ethanol for 30 seconds and the application of the commercial dentin adhesive ExciTE (Ivoclar Vivadent). In 2009, Paris and Meyer-Lueckel⁴ described the masking of white spots with resin infiltration using 15% HCl etching followed by a drying step with ethanol and a very-low-viscosity light-cured resin (tetraethylene glycol dimethacrylate).

I hope that this clarification gives the deserved credit to the authors of the missing references, especially to the papers of Robinson and others¹ and Croll², which are often overlooked.

Sincerely,

Jorge Perdigão

Author Response