Are Calcium- and Phosphate-containing Fluoride Varnishes More Effective Than Conventional Fluoride Varnish in Preventing Early Childhood Caries? A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Fluoride vanish is the most commonly used professionally applied topical agent. Traditional fluoride vanish application has been reported to exhibit significant caries inhibiting effect in both permanent teeth and primary teeth. The greatest advantage of fluoride vanish is its ability to adhere to tooth tissues for a longer period of time that enables improved fluoride uptake. It allows continuous release of fluoride ions into enamel, dentine, plaque, and saliva.The main action of topical fluoride is to retard demineralization and promote remineralization of enamel by the uptake of calcium and phosphates from saliva. The proposed mechanism of action of topical fluoride is the formation of intraoral calcium fluoride reservoirs, which are retained on enamel and slowly released to inhibit mineral loss during demineralization.

However, the formation of the intraoral calcium fluoride reservoirs is limited by the availability of intraoral calcium and fluoride ions. Low concentration of salivary calcium and phosphate ions leads to mineral deposition only at the surface of enamel as a result of low ion concentration gradient. Deposition of minerals at the surface of enamel alone may not improve the structural properties of the deep part of the incipient carious lesions. Hence, many manufacturers have modified fluoride vanish to include calcium and phosphate ions in an attempt to further improve efficacy of fluoride varnishes.

The in vitro remineralizing effects of calcium- and phosphate-containing fluoride vanishes are encouraging and scientifically sound, a longitudinal, high quality clinical study is needed to verify the laboratory findings.