The use of MI Paste Plus (GC America) with Recaldent -- containing casein phosphopeptide-amorphous calcium phosphate and fluoride (CPP-ACPF) -- helps prevent decalcification in orthodontic patients, according to research presented at the 2010 International Association for Dental Research (IADR) meeting in Barcelona, Spain.
The four-week study, conducted by Chung How Kau, D.D.S., Ph.D., and associates at the University of Texas Dental Branch at Houston Department of Orthodontics, compared the use of MI Paste Plus versus a fluoride-containing dentifrice (Tom's of Maine) as the control.
Orthodontic patients were randomly assigned to the test or control group, and asked to use their assigned product every night for three to five minutes in a tray after brushing. Decalcification was assessed, recorded and compared at baseline for both groups and at the end of consecutive four-week periods for three months. The enamel decalcification index was used to determine the number of orthodontic decalcification on each tooth surface adjacent to the orthodontic brackets (distally, mesially, incisally, and gingivally).
Results were as follows:
MI Paste Plus orthodontic patients experienced significantly less decalcification, as well as a steady decrease of decalcification, compared to patients using the control dentifrice during the study.
MI Paste Plus orthodontic patients experienced a 53.5% reduction in decalcification with the greatest decrease on the distal surfaces; the use of MI Paste Plus prevented lesions from developing and resulted in the decrease of existing decalcification. Reduction in decalcification was found at the end of each four-week period for all tooth surface areas.
In contrast, orthodontic patients treated with the control dentifrice experienced a 91.1% increase in decalcification with the greatest increase on the distal and gingival surfaces; the dentifrice was found to have no preventive action against orthodontic decalcification. Increase in decalcification was found at the end of each four-week period for all tooth surface areas.
Throughout the study, the incisal areas were found to be most affected by decalcification.
MI Paste Plus, which contains 900 ppm of fluoride, was found in this study to significantly reduce orthodontic decalcification, a condition that affects up to half of all orthodontic patients, GC America said in a press release. Casein phosphopeptide-amorphous calcium phosphate helps to maintain a high concentration gradient of calcium and phosphate ions at the tooth surface, thereby helping to prevent demineralization and enhance remineralization, the company added.
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