Fluoride levels in saliva and dental plaque after consumption of snacks prepared with fluoridated salt.

AIM To determine the concentration of fluoride in saliva and supragingival dental plaque at designated time intervals after consumption of snacks prepared with a standardised amount of fluoridated salt. STUDY DESIGN The investigation had a single blind prospective crossover design. METHODS A group of 11 healthy young adults volunteered to participate after verbal and written information and consent. After a 1-week fluoride depletion period, the subjects consumed popcorn prepared with either fluoridated (250 mg/kg) or non-fluoridated salt during 30 minutes. Unstimulated whole saliva and samples of supragingival plaque were collected before consumption (baseline) and at 30, 60 and 120 minutes after the intake. Fluoride concentration was determined with a fluoride-specific electrode and the post-ingestion levels were compared with baseline by ANOVA. RESULTS In saliva, the mean fluoride concentrations at baseline ranged from 0.021 to 0.027 mg/L and after the 30 minutes consumption of fluoride prepared snacks a 15-fold increase (p<0.001) was found. The same pattern was disclosed in the plaque samples. In both saliva and plaque, the fluoride levels remained significantly elevated after 2 hours (p<0.001 and p<0.05, respectively). CONCLUSION Consumption of snacks prepared with fluoridated table salt resulted in significantly increased fluoride levels in saliva and supragingival plaque for a period of at least two hours.