Enamel solubility profile of irradiated rat molars

The solubility of molar enamel was tested in irradiated rats treated with fluoride (F-). Seventy-five 21-day-old rats were divided into five groups. The first group received F- in the drinking water (25 p.p.m.), one group was irradiated only (one single dose of 15 Gy to the head); one group was started on F- 3 weeks before irradiation, in one group the commencement of the F- regimen coincided with irradiation. The last group served as a control. The animals were sacrificed at 80 days old. Enamel solubility of the molar teeth, measured as Ca++ release in an etchant, was determined separately in three consecutive immersions. Fluoridation and irradiation reduced enamel solubility, albeit in a dissimilar depth-related amplitude. Whether administered prior to or following irradiation, F- reduced enamel solubility in a pattern resembling that of the non-irradiated F- treated group.