To compare post-orthodontic white lesions when subjected to brush with a sodium fluoride (NaF) toothpaste containing tri-calcium phosphate (TCP) or a NaF toothpaste.
Methods:
Nineteen healthy participants, with demineralized white lesions at debonding, were randomly assigned to either a NaF toothpaste (950 ppm F) which contains TCP (Clinpro® tooth crème, 3M ESPE) or a NaF (1,000 ppm F) toothpaste (Colgate® Total, Colgate-Palmolive). They were instructed in tooth brushing technique, with a soft bristle toothbrush, using Modified Bass technique twice a day. In each brushing, they brushed for 2 minutes and rinsed in 20 ml. of tap water. Also, they were advised to consume less sugar containing snacks or beverages not more than 2 between meals, per day. Photographs of demineralized areas were taken before and after intervention at 4, 8 and 12 weeks, respectively. The demineralized white areas were calculated by Image-Pro Plus®software, Version 3 (Media Cybernetics Inc., Silver Spring, MD, USA). The areas before and after intervention as well as percent area changes were compared with Paired t-test and T-test at a significant level of .05.
Results:
The demineralized white areas before and after treatment in both groups were significantly different at the follow- up periods (p=.00). The percent changes of intervention and control groups decreased by -48.35 ± 11.63 (ranged from 29.15 to 63.32) and -39.22 ± 27.44 (ranged from 12.90 to 85.07), respectively. These results demonstrated that post-orthodontic demineralized white lesions reduced in area with time. However, the area changes showed no significant difference between the two interventions.
Conclusions: A NaF toothpaste containing tri-calcium phosphate and a conventional NaF toothpaste can significantly reduce the area of post orthodontic white spot lesions.