• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.151-159
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• 2019

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the relation between rinsing time and the change in enamel surface after fluoride application on the enamel surface. Methods: We recruited two sample groups with different mouth rinsing times. While one group rinsed the teeth immediately after applying acidulated phosphate fluoride (APF) gel, the other group rinsed the teeth 30 minutes after APF gel application. In each group, we performed the following four-step experiment: (i) apply APF gel on the teeth, (ii) rinse the teeth, (iii) immerse the teeth in orange juice, and (iv) measure enamel surface microhardness and scan enamel surfaces. Results: The group that rinsed 30 minutes after treatment exhibited greater microhardness than the group that rinsed immediately after fluoride treatment. The former also showed smooth and regular crystallization, whereas the latter showed rough and damaged crystallization and irregular surfaces. Conclusions: Based on these observations, we conclude that delaying the rinsing time improves the dental caries preventive effect of fluoride.