Fluoride concentrations in rat and human tooth pulps and their possible interference with phosphatase activities

Alkaline and acid phosphatases (p-ases), fluoride (F), and calcium (Ca) were analyzed in the pulps of rat incisors and young human pre-molars. P-ase activities were about ten times higher in the rat than in the human pulps; in the latter, high p-ase activity appeared to be connected with rapid mineralization. Average total F was 3-4 ng/mg in both rat and human pulp, while Ca showed values several times higher, although greatly varying, in human than in rat pulps. Ionized F was two to three times higher in ultrafiltrates from rat and human pulps than in the blood plasma of the species; in the rat, the F content of the ultrafiltrates increased only three to four times when plasma F was experimentally elevated over 100 times. In vitro, rat pulp alk. p-ase activity was slightly inhibited only in the range above 100 mM NaF, while acid p-ase showed weak inhibition in the region from 0.15-0.25 mM and 40-60% inhibition in the range from 10-100 mM NaF. In vivo, no effect on pulp p-ases was found, even from sublethal NaF doses.