Efficacy of Surface Coating on Staining Potentiality of Pediatric Medications on Primary Teeth and Restorative Material: In Vitro Study

Background: Change in color of teeth and restoration is a common dental finding associated with some medications. The discoloration of primary teeth causes parental concern and affects social interaction among children.Aim: Our study was conducted to determine the impact of surface coating using Equia Forte Coat on the discoloration of both natural primary teeth and glass ionomer (GI) restorations post-exposure to iron and budesonide.Methods: Thirty-two primary teeth in a group and thirty-two GI specimens in a group. Each group was subdivided into two subgroups: coated with Equia Forte Coat (group 1) and without coat (group 2). Each subgroup was divided according to the medication into iron supplement (1A, 2A) and anti-asthmatic budesonide (1B, 2B) subgroups. the exposure continued for 90 days for both groups Tooth color was measured before and after exposure using a spectrophotometer, and statistical analysis was executed via ANOVA followed by the LSD post hoc test (p < 0.05).Results: In primary teeth groups, the coated iron group had significantly less discoloration compared to the non-coated iron group (p = 0.001). In GI samples, the coated iron group showed significantly lower discoloration relative to the non-coated iron group (P = 0.009), while no significant difference was documented among coated and non-coated budesonide groups in both natural teeth and glass ionomer groups.Conclusions: Coating the surface reduced both natural primary teeth and glass ionomer restorations induced discoloration when exposed to iron supplements, but it showed no significant protective effect against budesonide-induced discoloration.