[Comparison of the effect of fluoride and non-fluoride dentifrices on enamel demineralization and remineralization in vitro].

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the experiment is to investigate the effect of fluoride dentifrices in China on the intact and artificial caries-like bovine enamels. METHODS: The artificial caries-like lesions were created by dipping the teeth into an acid buffered solution. Both the bovine intact enamels and the artificial caries-like enamels were assigned tooth brushing 20 times every half an hour with 3 kinds of fluoride dentifrices and one kind of non-fluoride dentifrices respectively. The amount of calcium dissolved by lactic acid was determined as the susceptibility of demineralization by atomic adsorption spectrometry (AAS). RESULTS: The group treated with fluoride dentifrice showed significantly less demineralization than the non-fluoride group (P < 0.02). The effect of inhibition of acid solubility in artificial caries-like enamel after tooth brushing is significantly greater than that in intact enamel. CONCLUSION: Fluoride dentifrices in this experiment can prevent both intact enamel and artificial caries-like enamel from acid solubility after tooth brushing, and it seems that the effect of the fluoride dentifrices on the redemineralization is greater than the reduction of enamel solubility.