Effect of fluoride on tooth erosion around orthodontic brackets

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of fluoride in prevention of tooth erosion around orthodontic brackets under erosive challenge. Edgewise brackets were bonded with TransbondTM XT composite on vestibular surface of 40 bovine incisors. The teeth were assigned to 4 groups (n=10): G1: Remineralizing saliva; G2: Erosive challenge; G3: Experimental group submitted to topical application of neutral fluoride gel (2% NaF) before erosive challenge; G4: Experimental group submitted to three daily applications of fluoride dentifrice (PFM 1500 ppmF) during erosive challenge. After 14 days of erosive challenge, direct visual and tactile examination were performed by two calibrated and trained examiners (Kappa = 0.867). The following scores were used: 0 = Intact enamel, 1 = Demineralized enamel without cavity, 2 = Demineralized enamel with cavity, 3 = Remineralized enamel without cavity, 4 = Remineralized enamel with cavity. Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests were applied to determine erosion levels, establishing a confidence interval of 95% (p