The Effects of Toothpaste Containing Sodium Fluoride on the Oral Environment

Abstract

Although fluoride has been widely used for caries prevention in various ways, attention is now being paid to the use of toothpaste containing fluoride for caries control.
The inhibition of decalcification and the remineralization of initial carious lesions should be promoted by the continuous presence of fluoride derived from toothpaste in dental plaque and saliva.
In this study, I assessed the effects of toothpaste containing 100 or 250 ppmF- as NaF on the fluoride level in the oral environment, on selected organic acids in plaque, and on the number of bacteria in plaque.
The results obtained were as follows:
1) Fluoride concentration in both plaque and saliva was increased significantly by the use of fluoride-containing toothpastes (p<0.05).
2) With 250 ppmF- toothpaste the fluoride concentration in plaque and saliva was higher than that obtained when 100 ppmF- tooth paste was used. However, these levels decreased to almost the original levels after 60 minutes. Therefore, the oral clearance of fluoride is apparently rapid.
3) Acid production in plaque was inhibited significantly by the use of fluoride-containing toothpastes (p<0.001).
4) When the 250ppmF- toothpaste was used for 5 days, the bacterial number in plaque tended to decrease.
5) These data suggest that fluoride-containing toothpaste could prevent caries incidence even at a concentration as low as 100 or 250 ppmF-.