Effects of Pre-test Food Uptake and the Use of Stannous Fluoride Dentifrice on the Biopsy Method for the Acid-resistance of Surface Enamel

• Published in: JOURNAL OF DENTAL HEALTH Vol. 24; no. 4; pp. 386 - 390
• Main Authors: KAWASAKI, Tohru, TAKEUCHI, Mitsuharu, AMANO, Fumie
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English; Japanese
• Published: Japan Japanese Society for Oral Health 1974
• Subjects: Dental Enamel - metabolism; Dental Enamel Permeability; Dentifrices - therapeutic use; Dentistry; Fluorides - therapeutic use; Tin Fluorides - therapeutic use
• ISSN: 0023-2831; 2189-7379
• DOI: 10.5834/jdh.24.386

In an attempt to evaluate the acidresistance of surface enamel by the biopsy method, the effects of pre-test food uptake and the use of SnF2dentifrice were investigated. The biopsy method used was as follows: after the labial surface of the upper central incisor was polished with common dentifrice prepared with calcium carbonate base, an agar plate, impregnated with 0.1M lactate buffer solution of pH 4.0, of 2mm in thickness and 6.5 mm in diameter, was placed on the central part of it for 3 minutes for conditioning. A second agar plate was placed on it for 3 minutes and then the phosphorus dissolved in the second agar plate was spectrophotometrically determined by the molybdate-safranin method. In 8 adults, significant increases in phosphorus dissolution were observed after taking corn sirup and caramel (1% level of significance), and mandarin orange (5% level of significance), before the biopsy test as compared with control values. The results suggested that the biopsy test of the acid-resistance of surface enamel should be done before a meal or between meals, but not after a meal. In a second series of in vivo experiments, the effects of the use of freshly prepared SnF2dentifrice (1, 000 ppm as F) before the biopsy test were examined in 6 (A group) and 34 children (B group) of an average of 10 years of age. The amount of phosphorus dissolution after the use of SnF2dentifrice for 3 minutes (A group) was significantly lower than in controls at the 5% level. When the amount of phosphorus dissolution was determined at the 4th day after a 3 minbrushing with SnF2dentifrice once a day for 3 days (B group), it was significantly lower at the 1% level. However, since the activity of fluorine ions in dentifrice decreases with time, the data on the use of dentifrice containing fluoride on the biopsy test should be cautiously interpreted.