In situ evaluation of sodium hexametaphosphate-containing dentifrices.

Area of Science:

• Oral health
• Dental biomaterials
• Caries prevention

Background:

• Fluoride dentifrices are crucial for caries prevention.
• Dual-phase delivery systems offer novel approaches to enhance therapeutic agent efficacy.
• Understanding the interaction between delivery systems and fluoride ions is essential for developing effective anticaries agents.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the anticaries potential of two experimental dentifrices containing stannous fluoride (SnF(2)) or sodium fluoride (NaF) in a dual-phase delivery system.
• To compare the efficacy of these experimental formulations against positive fluoride controls and a negative placebo control.
• To assess the impact of sodium hexametaphosphate on fluoride activity within the dual-phase system.

Main Methods:

• Investigator-blinded, five-treatment, crossover human intraoral study.
• Utilized a single-section crown model to assess demineralization-remineralization.
• Employed polarized light microscopy for evaluating fluoride efficacy.

Main Results:

• Both experimental SnF(2) and NaF dentifrices demonstrated clinical anticaries activity comparable to positive controls.
• The sodium hexametaphosphate in the dual-phase system did not impede the fluoride's therapeutic effect.
• The experimental SnF(2) formulation showed a numerical advantage in preventing demineralization of root surfaces compared to NaF and placebo.

Conclusions:

• Experimental SnF(2) and NaF dentifrices in a dual-phase system exhibit significant anticaries efficacy.
• The dual-phase delivery system is compatible with and supports the activity of both SnF(2) and NaF.
• These findings support the development of advanced fluoride delivery systems for enhanced caries prevention.