An in vitro model for assessment of fluoride uptake from glass-ionomer cements by dentin and its effect on acid resistance.

This investigation presents an experimental model for studying interactions of glass-ionomer cements (GICs) with bovine dentin slabs. Fluoride incorporation was studied with five serial abrasion biopsies, each being approximately 10 microns thick. The time of interaction was a very important parameter, indicating continuous fluoride release from the GIC and diffusion into dentin over a 30-day period. Expressed in mass per volume (mg F/cm3), the fluoride incorporation reached 12.0 mg at the first and 2.5 mg at the fifth layer, several times greater than the baseline of 0.27 mg/cm3 in bovine dentin. A subsequent test of acid resistance in a lactic acid buffer (pH 4.0), followed by microradiography of lesions, showed a characteristic 40-microns-wide acid-resistant zone on surfaces exposed to the GICs. In contrast, the untreated control surfaces had lesions demineralized evenly from the surface to the intact tissue, without the higher-density zone at the surface of the lesion. The model seems promising for screening fluoride incorporation into dentin from fluoride-releasing dental materials.