The purpose of this in vitro study was to evaluate the short and long-term effectiveness of fluoride varnish and compare it with the two most commonly used topical fluorides, i.e., fluoride gel and foam.A second purpose of the study was to compare the effectiveness of these preparations on primary and permanent teeth. Enamel slabs with a thickness of 500 microns were obtained from caries free primary molars and premolars. They were divided into four groups: control, foam (F), gel (G) and varnish (V). Fluorides were applied to the enamel slabs according to the manufacturer's instructions and were placed in a 5.1 pH acidic gel for one week. The amount of demineralization from the enamel was measured by calculating the amount of light reflected from these surfaces. This was done by using a Charged Couple Device attached to a high resolution microscope with image processing software, Optima 5.22. The enamel slabs were placed in a freshly prepared acidic gel for a second week without application of fluorides. This was done to mimic a situation where fluoride is eventually brushed away from teeth. Reflective images were recorded under the previously described conditions. A two-way analysis of covariance was used to compare the treatments. The results showed no statistically significant difference (with Bonferroni correction) in the effectiveness of different fluoride preparations over the short-term (Week I comparison; p-values: F vs. G 0.079, F vs.V 0.030, G vs.V 0.44). However, the long-term protection provided by fluoride varnish was far more than fluoride gel and foam (Week II comparison; p-values: F vs. G 9X10-5 , F vs.V 7X10-8, G vs.V 1X10-4). Fluorides were equally effective for both primary and permanent enamels (p-value 0.24). The results of this study suggest that fluoride varnish is beneficial for use with white spot lesions, newly erupted permanent teeth and early decalcification in primary dentition.
A system recently developed for measuring wear in dental restorative materials may have applications in the field of physical anthropology. The method, computerized profilometry, uses a computer guided stylus to digitize a tooth surface directly or via epoxy replicas. The digital information is manipulated using customized computer graphic software programs which include the following features: three-dimensional measurement, comparison of surfaces using "goodness of fit" algorithms, and color graphic representations of anatomic surfaces. The system has been calibrated to an accuracy of 0.0006 mm3The advantages offered by mensurational and descriptive studies of the dentition are well recognized. The detailed morphologic structure of teeth reflect the results of isolation, inbreeding, hybridization, drift, and other phenomena responsible for the genetic compositions of populations (Kraus and Furr, 1953). To adequately study these characteristics, subtle measurement techniques are required. Because of the complex shape of human tooth crowns, many investigators have concentrated on simple measurements of tooth size, including length, breadth, and computed area of the crown. But these simple indicators do not reveal all the morphological information which tooth crowns provide (Wood and Abbott, 1983).Detailed digitizations of tooth occlusal surfaces are now possible (DeLong et al., 1985). Primarily used in wear studies of dental restorative materials, the method can also be used to provide highly accurate qualitative and quantitative measurements of the tooth surface. At its most basic, absolute distances between two points on the tooth surface can be measured. What follows is a description of the technique, together with a report of an in vivo study which compared the interobserver error of digitizer-based and traditional caliper-based measurements of intercuspal distances. Twenty pairs (n = 40) of newly erupted and caries-free premolar teeth were measured. The teeth were impressioned with a vinylpolysiloxane material and epoxy replicas made. Surfaces of each replica were profiled and digitized using a displacement stylus and programmable data retrieval system. A logic diagram (Fig 1.) gives an overview of the method. The graphic images of each tooth were viewed on a high resolution computer screen and threedimensional point measurements were made using the image processing software.' The program identified the highest point coordinates corresponding to cusp tips on each tooth and then calculated the intercuspal distance. All measurements were done by the same two independent investigators in a blind manner. All data generated were stored on magnetic disk for reference and further manipulation. Each tooth required 60 kilobytes of computer memory and the time required to digitize and analyze each tooth was approximately 40 minutes. The replicas were then measured by the two investigators using a dial caliper readable to 0.05 mm.The computer method proved superior. A repeat-measures ANOVA tested for systematic error be...
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