Fluoride uptake in human teeth from fluoride-releasing restorative material in vivo and in vitro: two-dimensional mapping by EPMA-WDX

Class V cavities were prepared in the upper and lower left second premolars from an individual under infiltration anesthesia. The cavities were filled with fluoride– releasing resin (TF). One month later, the teeth were extracted. As a control (in vitro), the upper and lower right second premolars were extracted at the time of the cavity preparation in vivo. Immediately after extraction, class V cavities were prepared and filled with TF, and immersed in normal saline solution for 1 month at 37°C. All four premolars were bisected longitudinally and the fluoride uptake around the cavity wall on the cut surface was measured using an electron probe microanalyzer–wavelength dispersive X–ray method. The fluoride uptake was given in the form of a two–dimensional map. Comparison of the observed values of each corresponding part of the tooth in vivo and in vitro revealed no characteristic differences. The maps were quite analogous as a whole.