title: Comparison of the remineralizing effects of sodium fluoride and bioactive glass using bioerodible gel systems.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  A carious lesion is the accumulation of numerous episodes of de- and remineralization, rather than a unidirectional demineralization process. Tooth destruction can be arrested or reversed by the frequent delivery of fluoride or calcium/phosphorous ions to the tooth surface. The present study compared and evaluated the remineralization potential of sodium fluoride and bioactive glass delivered through a bioerodible gel system.
  
  
  METHODS
  Longitudinal sections of artificial carious lesions, created at the gingivofacial surface of 64 pri-mary maxillary incisors were photographed under a polarized light microscope and quantified for demineralization. The sec-tions were repositioned into the tooth form and randomly mounted in sets of four that simulated an arch form. The teeth were divided into 4 groups: 1) sodium fluoride films, 2) bioactive glass films, 3) control films placed interproximally and 4) non-treatment group. Following exposure to artificial saliva for 30 days, the lesions were again photographed and quantified as above. The recorded values were statistically analyzed using Student's paired t-test for intragroup comparison, one-way ANOVA and Post-Hoc Tukey's test for pairwise comparison.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The sodium fluoride and bioactive gel groups showed significant remineralization compared with the control groups (P < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Bioerodible gel films can be used to deliver remineralizing agents to enhance remineralization.
authors.affiliation: Professor and Head, Department of Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry, Bapuji Dental College and Hospital, Davanagere, Karnataka, India.
authors.forename: Attiguppe
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ramashetty Prabhakar
authors.forename: Veena
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Arali