We attempted to determine the protective effect of salivary pellicle formed on enamel using the quantitative light induced fluorescence method. Ten polished bovine enamel specimens were pretreated with stimulated human saliva for 1 minute and 10 others for 60 minutes. All the specimens were then exposed to a demineralizing solution. Ten teeth that had not been exposed to the saliva were exposed to the demineralizing solution as controls. The results indicated that demineralization was decreased in the enamel of the specimens exposed to saliva for 1 minute and for 60 minutes compared with the controls. However, there was no statistically significant difference between the 1 minute group and the 60 minute group. This data suggests that the salivary protein acquired on the enamel surface affects demineralization.
