The effect of time of exposure on fluoride uptake by human enamel from acidulated fluoride solutions in vitro.

Fluoride uptake on and in enamel during topical application of acidulated solutions was studied. The variables were different time intervals and different pH levels of the treatment solutions. The experiment was carried out with human enamel exposed to 2% NaF solutions, pH 3.5 and 5.5, for 30 sec, 60 sec, 5 min, and 60 min. The amounts of fluoride formed on (as calcium fluoride) and in (as fluorapatite) enamel were determined by chemical assessments, and scanning electron microscopy provided the visualization of the deposits on the surface. It could be demonstrated that the two pH levels caused deposition of large amounts of calcium fluoride and that almost twice as much was deposited at pH 3.5 as at 5.5. The amount of deposit increased rapidly with time of exposure in both situations compared with similar experiments with neutral fluoride solutions. Firmly bound fluoride was incorporated in the enamel only during the 60-min incubation.