The efficacy of non-fluoridated toothpastes on artificial enamel caries in primary teeth: An in vitro study

The aim of this study was to evaluate the remineralizing effect among various non-fluoridated toothpastes on artificial caries in primary teeth. Materials and Methods: Fifty sound primary incisor teeth were embedded in self-curing acrylic resin and immersed in demineralizing solution for 4 days forming artificial caries. All teeth were divided into five groups (10 teeth/group): Group I deionized water (control); Group II 1000 ppm F (Kodomo®); Group III non-fluoridated toothpaste containing calcium glycerophosphate and calcium lactate (Dokbuaku®); Group IV casein phosphopeptides-amorphous calcium phosphate (CPP-ACP) paste (GC Tooth Mousse®), and Group V non-fluoridated toothpaste containing nanohydroxyapatite (NHA) (Apagard®). The specimens were subjected to pH-cycling and immersed in toothpaste slurry twice for 7 days. Baseline, before, and after pH-cycling surface microhardness (SMH) values were measured by Vickers hardness numbers, and the percentage recovery of SMH (%SMHR) was calculated. Data were analyzed by one-way analysis of variance and Tukey's multiple comparison at 95% confidence intervals. Results: The SMH values of test groups were significantly higher than those of the control group (p = 0.00). The %SMHR was -5.72±7.03% in the control group, Group II was significantly higher than Group III but there were no significant differences among Groups II, IV, and V (p 0.05). Conclusion: Non-fluoridated toothpastes containing CPP-ACP or NHA for young children had efficacy in remineralizing effect on primary teeth comparable with 1000 ppm fluoridated toothpaste.