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2006
Journal Article
Titel
A SEM and TOF-SIMS study of CaF2-like precipitates after in vitro and in situ fluoridation
Abstract
Today it is generally accepted that CaF2 precipitates formed after topical fluoride application play a significant role in caries prevention. The aim of the present study was to investigate the CaF2 deposition under in vitro and in situ fluoridation conditions using SEM / EDX. In addition, the potential of TOF-SIMS (Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectroscopy) for CaF2 detection was investigated and correlated to the SEM / EDX results. A set of dental enamel samples taken from 3rd human molars was treated in vitro with amine and sodium fluoride solutions and dentifrices in i) aqua dest. and ii) saliva solution. A further set of samples iii) was carried by volunteers in intra-oral devices (in situ) for four weeks and treated with commercial amine and sodium fluoride dentifrices under normal dental hygiene conditions. All specimens treated in vitro with amine- or sodium fluoride containing solutions / dentifrices showed formation of CaF2 precipitates already after short treatment times (110 min). Precipitation of CaF2-like material with very low intensity was also indicated by SEM for some of the samples treated in situ. Clear assessment and identification as CaF2 using EDX failed due to the small precipitate size and the coverage with remnant organic films. TOF-SIMS signals of the samples treated in vitro showed a close correlation to the SEM / EDX results. Therefore, TOF-SIMS with its high sensitivity seems to be a potential method for further investigations.
Language
English