# Assessing the Impact of Varied Dark Chocolate Concentrations on Enamel and Dentine Microhardness
## 3 Results
### Comparision of Enamel and Dentin Microhardness between Pairs of Groups  
Tables 3 and 4 show the comparison between different concentrations of dark chocolate for both enamel and dentin microhardness. The result shows a significant difference (\(p\)-value \(<\) 0.05) between each group of concentrations. Notably, the only exception is between concentrations of 70% and 85%, where the \(p\)-value of 1 was not significant. \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c c c c} \hline \hline  & \multicolumn{6}{c}{**Dentine and SD**} \\ \cline{2-9}
**Group** & \multicolumn{3}{c}{**Initial Microhardness**} & \multicolumn{3}{c}{**Final Microhardness**} & \\ \cline{2-9}  & **N** & **Mean** & **SD** & **Mean** & **SD** & **DF** & **SD** & \(p\)**-Value** \\ \hline Artificial saliva (control group) & 10 & 51.31 & 0.904 & 60.95 & 4.910 & 9.64 & 5.083 & 0.0002 \\ \hline
75\% Dark chocolate & 10 & 51.79 & 1.036 & 109.7 & 7.602 & 57.91 & 8.332 & \textless{}0.001 \\ \hline
85\% Dark chocolate & 10 & 51.81 & 0.774 & 124.10 & 2.183 & 72.29 & 2.752 & \textless{}0.001 \\ \hline
100\% Dark chocolate & 10 & 51.53 & 1.125 & 140.20 & 8.664 & 88.67 & 8.602 & \textless{}0.001 \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 2: Dentine microhardness comparison between initial and final phases in each group. Figure 3: Represents an error bar chart, showcasing the standard deviation and mean values of dentin microhardness at both the initial and final stages. dentin hardness values [21]. The wide variation in hardness values can be attributed to factors such as specimen preparation, diagonal length reading [21], variations in chemical composition [22], age, and the specific location within the tooth [23]. As a main canned product, many individuals believe that chocolate is most likely responsible for tooth cavities. In fact, chocolate is comparatively the most cariogenic substance, likely due to its high sugar content, as shown by a variety of studies [24; 25]. Actually, cocoa butter found in chocolate is believed to provide a protective layer for the teeth, forming a buttery coating that can fend off damage from the sugar contained in dark chocolate; furthermore, cocoa contains a component that is capable of preventing tooth decay and dental caries [26]. There is evidence that cocoa powder inhibits dental caries in hamsters and that zero-fat cocoa exhibits significant anticary properties [27]. In spite of the fact that the cocoa bean's husk cannot be found, it exists even when the cocoa bean is in its natural state [28]. Another advantage of chocolate manufactured from cocoa beans is that the cocoa bean itself contains anticariogenic substances. The cocoa bean husk, a by-product of the chocolate industry, is renowned for being rich in polyphenols, which can prevent some sugars from turning into acid and breaking down the enamel of the tooth, and nutritional fiber, including cellulose, pectin, and lenin [28]. In the processing of theobroma cacao, the preroasted beans have been extracted from the cocoa bean husk [29]. It has been found that the cocoa bean husk contains two distinct types of cariostatic compounds, with one exhibiting antiglucosyltransferase(GTF) activity while the other demonstrates antibacterial properties [29]. Theobromine is one of the primary components of cocoa beans. Theobromine has a chemical formula of 3.7 dimethylxanthine and is an alkaloid of the cacao plant [30]. It was previously known as xantheose, a crystalline, bitter powder that is insoluble in water. It differs from caffeine by just one methyl group and is thus present in foods such as chocolate, teas, and other beverages. The tea plant's leaves and the kola (or cola) nut both contain it. Through strengthening tooth enamel, theobromine lowers the incidence of tooth decay [30]. Cocoa beans naturally contain 1-4% theobromine. Dark chocolate has higher theobromine contents than milk chocolate, which ranges in cocoa powder from 1.2% to 2.4% [31].