Arginine combination with fluoride and calcium glycerophosphate: effects of concentration and on biofilm fluid.

Aim: To study the influence of varying concentrations of arginine (Arg) combined with fluoride (F) and/or calcium glycerophosphate (CaGP) on biofilms. Materials & methods: Biofilms were analyzed for acidogenicity, microbial viability and Ca, F and inorganic phosphorus (P) concentrations. Results: For total bacteria, the lowest viability was found in F-containing groups, regardless of the arginine concentrations and presence of CaGP. For aciduric bacteria, no significant differences were found among arginine concentrations in the presence of F. For MS, arginine concentrations did not influence MS viability in the presence of fluoride and CaGP only decreased viability at 3.2% Arg concentration. The arginine-treated groups showed the lowest acidogenicity. For ion concentrations in biofilms, CaGP showed the highest values for P; Arg+F for F; and CaGP/Arg+CaGP for Ca. Conclusion: Different concentrations of arginine did not affect the microbial viability or acidogenicity of biofilms. Moreover, 0.8% Arg did not increase ion concentration in biofilm fluid.