Effect of fluoride varnish on enamel demineralization around brackets: An in-vivo study

Introduction: Even with advances in materials and techniques, demineralization around brackets during orthodontic treatment continues to be a problem. The purpose of this in-vivo study was to evaluate the effect of a fluoride varnish on enamel demineralization adjacent to bonded brackets. Methods: Fifteen patients who needed at least 2 premolars extracted for orthodontic reasons were selected. In each patient, 1 premolar was considered the test tooth, and the other was the control. Brackets were bonded, and T-loops were engaged on all premolars, but only the test teeth received fluoride varnish. The premolars were extracted after 85 to 95 days, and buccolingual sections 50 to 70 mu m in thickness were evaluated with polarized light microscopy. The mean depth of demineralization in each lesion was measured 3 times on photographs by an operator blinded to the groups (intraclass correlation of the 3 measurements was 0.988). Results: The mean lesion depths were 57.0 +/- 5.5 mu m in the test group and 94.3 +/- 6.7 mu m in the control group. There was significant reduction (approximately 40%) in depth of demineralization in the test group (P < .001). Conclusions: Fluoride varnish can be beneficial as a preventive adjunct in reducing demineralization adjacent to brackets.