Abstract
An in situ evaluation of the potential rehardening effect of fluoridated and non-fluoridated toothpastes with or without air polishing was conducted. Ten volunteers, using acrylic palatal appliances containing two bovine enamel blocks with artificial carious lesions, took part in this study. Four times a day, after the main meals and at night, the volunteers, in a habitual way, brushed their natural teeth with the dentifrice indicated to the experimental design and after that the appliances were put again into the mouth. They were divided into 4 different groups: G1 - control - non-fluoridated dentifrice; G2 - fluoridated dentifrice; G3 - non-fluoridated dentifrice, but having a previous prophylaxis using air polishing; G4 - fluoridated dentifrice and previous air polishing. The effects of treatments on enamel rehardening were evaluated in the blocks that were assessed by surface microhardness, and the percentage of surface microhardness change (%reh) was calculated in relation to the baseline values. The results showed that %reh was higher in the groups with fluoridated dentifrice, and professional prophylaxis did not have an additional effect in the groups of fluoridated dentifrices (p<0.05). The data suggested that, in the absence of fluoride, removal of dental plaque helped to increase the process of enamel rehardening.
Highlights
In its most literal sense, remineralization is the mineral redeposition after loss occurred during or after a caries attack
Considering the surface microhardness at onset and after demineralization, the analysis of variance (ANOVA) test did not reveal differences between groups, with p=0.64 for the initial experimental condition and p=0.82 after demineralization; this condition was required, so that the possible differences found might be assigned to the treatments performed
The rationale for keeping the oral environment free of plaque is based on the relationship between dental plaque and oral diseases: dental caries, gingivitis and periodontal disease 5
Summary
In its most literal sense, remineralization is the mineral redeposition after loss occurred during or after a caries attack. Remineralization of lesions as a normal occurrence in the oral environment has been shown by several investigators and depends on many factors such as salivary flow rate, buffer capacity, utilization of fluoridated products and mechanical plaque control[6,12,16,19,21]. The process of mineral loss and gain is essentially physicochemical and fluoride may effectively reduce demineralization and/or enhance remineralization[6,7]. The dentifrices are currently considered as the most widespread vehicle for fluoride delivery, but toothbrushing is yet to be recognized as the base of all oral defense mechanisms. The effectiveness of toothbrushing depends on the individual skills and personal motivation for its proper use 4
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