Effect of a steel mesh and human dental plaque on fluoride uptake in vitro

Blocks of bovine enamel, covered with a steel mesh or a steel mesh plus plaque or with neither, were treated in vitro with a 20% slurry of a fluoride dentifrice for 1 h. An initial experiment showed that fluoride in blocks without mesh or plaque increased significantly, whereas fluoride in blocks covered with a steel mesh harboring intraorally accumulated plaque did not. A follow-up experiment showed that enamel blocks covered with the mesh but without plaque acquired a small amount of fluoride, but significantly less than the blocks without mesh. These experiments indicate that covering enamel specimens with mesh, as is done during in situ experiments, may significantly influence the transport of fluoride to the enamel and, therefore, the amount of fluoride acquired by the specimens and perhaps the degree of de- or remineralization. They also suggest that the fluoride distribution to some areas of the natural dentition may be inadequate.