Comparative Study of the Effect of Gum Arabic and Fluoride on Enamel White Spots

Abstract

Enamel white spot lesions are the earliest microscopic signs of demineralization under intact enamel, which may or may not lead to the development of caries (cavitation). The reason for the white spots is that the pathogenic bacteria have leached out a certain amount of calcium and phosphate ions from the enamel layer by the organic acids produced by these bacteria. Therefore, the increase in calcium or fluoride concentrations in the oral fluids was found to enhance lesion remineralization.

Although fluoride therapy has been the cornerstone of caries-prevention and remineralization strategies since the introduction of water fluoridation schemes over 5 decades,but it has many limitations and drawbacks. Therefore the introduction of natural products has been used as promising sources for novel therapeutic agents. The majority of studies of natural products in the field of oral health have focused on their antimicrobial activities. Very few reported on the effects of natural products on the inhibition of dental erosion or decalcification processes of dental hard tissues