The aim of this study was to determine maximum attainable protection of enamel from erosion and erosion abrasion using a highly fluoridated gel with and without additional fluoride from toothpaste. Thirty-six bovine enamel specimens were subjected to six erosive attacks per day (1% citric acid with pH 2.3 for 30 s), while the rest of the day the specimens were in artificial saliva. There were four treatment groups (9 specimens in each group): fluoride-free toothpaste/saliva slurry twice daily (group T0), fluoride-containing toothpaste/saliva slurry twice daily using 1,250 ppm F toothpaste (group TF), fluoride-containing toothpaste/saliva slurry twice per day plus application of a highly fluoridated gel (12,500 ppm F) twice a day for 120 s (group 2F) and a group with gel application 8 times a day (group 8F). Additionally, half of each specimen in all groups was subjected to brushing abrasion during application of the toothpaste/saliva slurry. Brushing abrasion alone led to no observable enamel loss measured with profilometry. After 14 days of cycling of erosion without toothbrushing abrasion, high-fluoride gel application 2 or 8 times daily showed significantly less enamel loss (median 24/19 µm) than with toothpaste with or without fluoride (41/45 µm). After 14 days of cycling of erosion and toothbrushing abrasion, gel application 2 or 8 times daily (33/29 µm) showed significantly less enamel loss than toothpaste with or without fluoride (57/62 µm). We conclude that a highly fluoridated acidic gel is able to protect enamel from erosion and toothbrushing abrasion while fluoridated tooth paste provides little protection.

Aus den Ergebnissen der vorliegenden Studie sollen Empfehlungen zur Anwendung von hochkonzentrierten Fluoridgelen im Rahmen der Therapie von starken Erosionen in Verbindung mit Abrasion abgeleitet werden.