REMINERALIZING EFFECTS OF FLUORIDE VARNISHES ON ARTIFICIAL ENAMEL CARIOUS LESIONS: A PILOT STUDY

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the remineralization effect of rosin-based and water-base fluoride varnish on artificial enamel caries lesions. Artificial human enamel caries samples were randomly allocated into four groups: water-based fluoride varnish, fluoride varnish, fluoride varnish combined with tricalcium phosphate (TCP), and a control group (no treatment). The chemical composition of treated samples was analyzed using energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDX) after undergoing a pH-cycling (14 days). Result: At the lesion surface (0 µm), the fluoride varnish group showed the highest mean (SD) fluoride content (4.17 (3.67)), followed by the fluoride varnish combined with TCP group (3.66 (2.63)), the water-based fluoride varnish group (2.53 (1.45)), and the control group (1.54 (0.60)). Across all depths (0-200 µm), the fluoride varnish group consistently exhibited higher fluoride content than the other groups. Conclusion: Both rosin-based and water-base fluoride varnishes increased fluoride content on enamel surfaces and may enhance remineralization compared with the control group. However, rosin-based fluoride varnish tends to provide greater fluoride retention. It should be noted that EDX analysis evaluates elemental composition as weight percentage at the analyzed area and cannot directly confirm fluoride incorporated into the enamel crystal structure or true remineralization.

Keywords: Remineralization, Fluoride Varnish, Enamel, Artificial Enamel Caries, Fluoride