Comparison of the Remineralizing Effects of Sodium Fluoride and Bioactive Glass Using Bioerodible Gel Systems

BACKGROUND AND AIMS 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. MATERIALS AND 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). CONCLUSION Bioerodible gel films can be used to deliver remineralizing agents to enhance remineralization.