Abstract:

Objective: To explore the effect of fluoride toothpaste on enamel re -mineralization of extracted permanent teeth.
Methods: Twenty-four enamel specimens of bovine intact permanent teeth were selected based on the hardness data of about 285 kg/mm² and were randomly divided into group A, B and C. Group A was treated with fluoride toothpaste, group B was treated with nonfluoride toothpaste, while group C was selected as the control group with non-treatment. All specimens were smeared with artificial saliva. The enamel microhardness of the three groups was measured by automatic turret digital micro Vickers hardness tester. Results: The mean hardness of group A before re-mineralization was（285.2±4.3）kg/mm ², while that after remineralization was （356.9±7.9）kg/mm²（P<0.05）; the mean hardness of group B before re-mineralization was（284±5.2）kg/mm2, while（302.3±3.8）kg/mm²（P>
0.05）after re-mineralization; the mean hardness of group C before re-mineralization was（285.3±5.1）kg/mm², and（272.0±6.6）kg/mm²（P>0.05）after re-mineralization. Data showed that the hardness value after re-mineralization of group A was apparently higher than those of group B and C （P<0.05）. Conclusion: Fluoride toothpaste can effectively promote the re-mineralization of demineralized enamel.

Key words: fluoride toothpaste, enamel of permanent teeth, re-mineralization, hardness