Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 19, 2026

Micro-dissection of Enamel Organ from Mandibular Incisor of Rats Exposed to Environmental Toxicants
Published on: March 29, 2018
Soluble calcium/SMFP dentifrice: effect on enamel fluoride uptake and remineralization
1Faculty of Dentistry of Piracicaba, State University of Campinas-UNICAMP, Brazil.
Purpose:
To evaluate in situ the effect of soluble calcium on fluoride uptake and remineralization by human dental enamel from a sodium monofluorophosphate (SMFP) dentifrice.
Materials And Methods:
Eight volunteers took part in this cross-over, double-blind design study performed in three phases of 45 days. During each phase of the experiment, the subjects wore an acrylic resin appliance containing four blocks of human dental enamel with artificial caries to evaluate fluoride uptake and remineralization by three dentifrices: SMFP containing CaCl2, SMFP, and placebo. After each phase, the enamel blocks were removed and the total fluoride uptake (ppm F) and microhardness (Knoop) were measured. Statistical analyses (ANOVA and Turkey's test) were done.
Results:
There was no statistically significant difference between SMFP-CaCl2 and SMFP treatments regarding the amount of fluoride and microhardness data of treated enamel blocks as well as their areas under the curves, although both differed significantly (P < 0.05) when they were compared with placebo. However, the SMFP-CaCl2 treatment demonstrated the highest values on fluoride uptake and microhardness data. Furthermore, the microhardness data demonstrated 50% and 40% of remineralization for SMFP-CaCl2 and SMFP dentifrices, respectively.
Related Concept Videos
Factors Affecting Solubility
Essential Minerals for Bone Health
Calcium and Phosphorus
Calcium is a critical component of bones, especially in the form of calcium phosphate and calcium carbonate. Since the body cannot make calcium, it must be obtained from the diet. However, calcium cannot be absorbed from the small intestine without...
Skeleton and Calcium Homeostasis
Solubility Equilibria: Overview
Solubility is important in biological and environmental processes. A notable...
Minerals
Sulfate Attack on Concrete
Sulfates from sources like soil, groundwater, or industrial effluents...

