Oral clearance of NaF from chewing gum and tablets in children and adults.

Aim: Aim of the present study was to evaluate the salivary clearance of Fluoride following administration of tablets and chewing gums containing 0.50 mg of Fluoride in the form of NaF.
Materials and Methods: Ten children (age 10-13 years) and a control group of 10 adults (age 22-27 years) were recruited and selected for the study. The experiment consisted of saliva samples collection from each participant at fixed time intervals. Whole saliva was sampled from ten 10-13 years-old children to assess the baseline fluoride concentration, then participants received one piece of chewing-gum and were asked to chew for 15 minutes. Whole saliva samples were collected 5, 10, 20, 30, 45 and 60 minutes after the chewing period. The day after once again we administered a chewing-gum to each child, instructing them to continuously chew it for 15 minutes; subsequently we collected saliva samples at the same intervals previously fixed. The following day the experiment was repeated, this time requesting the patient to chew as slow as possible for 15 minutes and then news samples were collected. Saliva samples were collected at the same intervals previously fixed from control group of 10 adults. After a week, children's group received one tablet and new saliva samples were collected at the same intervals. The collected samples were analysed by a potentiometric method, assessing the Fluoride concentration by means of a Fluoride ion-selective electrode.
Results: The clearance of Fluoride is similar for both the administration methods used.
Conclusion: Both chewing gum and tablets are valid methods of Fluoride administration and they can be considered useful aids in dental caries prevention (when used in addition to adequate oral hygiene).