title: Comparison of fluoride uptake produced by tray and flossing methods in vitro.
abstract: The purposes of this study were to compare: (i) the fluoride (F) uptake by enamel in approximal areas of teeth when the F agent was applied in vitro via a tray or a flossing technique; and (ii) the effectiveness of two treatments--acidulated phosphate fluoride (APF) alone and CaHPO4.2H2O (DCPD)-forming pre-treatment followed by APF. Groups of three teeth (one premolar and two molars) were mounted in impression compounds simulating their oral configuration. In the tray group, teeth received one four-minute treatment by means of custom-formed trays. In the flossing group, the approximal areas of teeth were flossed for 40 sec twice daily for three days with an absorbent floss wetted with the treatment solution. All teeth were incubated in a saliva-like solution except during treatment. At the end of the three-day period, teeth were unmounted and washed in 1 mol/L KOH for 24 hours. The F uptake was calculated from biopsy data obtained before and after the treatment. The results showed that (i) DCPD-APF produced significantly greater F uptake than APF alone in both the tray and flossing methods, and (ii) the flossing technique produced significantly greater F uptake in the approximal areas than the tray method for either treatment.
authors.affiliation: Paffenbarger Research Center, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899.
authors.forename: M K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: L C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Chow
authors.forename: C T
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Schreiber
authors.forename: W E
authors.initials: WE
authors.lastname: Brown
mesh_terms: D003742:Dental Devices, Home Care; D003743:Dental Enamel / Q000378:metabolism*; D005459:Fluorides / Q000378:metabolism*; D005460:Fluorides, Topical; D006801:Humans; D008722:Methods
chemical_list: D005460:Fluorides, Topical; D005459:Fluorides