Tiger Snail Shell-Based Nano-Hydroxyapatite Gel with Antibacterial Activity of Propolis and Ajwa Dates for Tooth Enamel Remineralization
Keywords:
Nano-hydroxyapatite, Eenamel emineralization, Streptococcus mutansAbstract
Dental caries remains among the most prevalent chronic diseases worldwide, driven by enamel demineralization under acidogenic biofilm activity, principally by Streptococcus mutans. Nano-hydroxyapatite (n-HAp) derived from mollusk shell waste has emerged as a sustainable remineralizing agent, while natural antibacterial adjuvants such as propolis and Ajwa date extract offer complementary anti-cariogenic activity. This study developed and evaluated a novel gel combining n-HAp synthesized from tiger snail (Achatina fulica) shell waste with propolis and Ajwa date seed extract, assessing enamel remineralization and antibacterial activity against Streptococcus mutans. Nano-hydroxyapatite was extracted via wet chemical precipitation. Thirty-two bovine enamel specimens were assigned to four groups (n = 8): negative control (artificial saliva), positive control (1450 ppm fluoride gel), n-HAp gel alone, and the composite gel, evaluated for surface microhardness (Vickers) at baseline, after demineralization, and after treatment. Antibacterial activity was assessed via agar well diffusion (n = 6 per active group). One-way ANOVA showed a significant difference in microhardness recovery among groups (F(3,28) = 118.05, p < 0.001), with the composite gel achieving the greatest recovery (75.66% ± 6.56%), exceeding the fluoride control (51.85% ± 8.13%), n-HAp-alone (56.83% ± 9.31%), and negative control (-3.90% ± 10.34%) (all p < 0.001). The composite gel produced a mean inhibition zone of 15.85 mm (± 2.33), significantly greater than n-HAp alone (6.04 mm, p < 0.001) and comparable in category to 0.2% chlorhexidine (18.74 mm). These findings support the composite gel as a promising, sustainably sourced dual-function anti-cariogenic dental material.
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