August 27, 2010—Research presented at the 2010 International Association for Dental Research meeting in Barcelona, Spain supports the use of MI Paste Plus™ with RECALDENT™† containing casein phosphopeptide - amorphous calcium phosphate and fluoride (CPP-ACPF) for the prevention of decalcification in orthodontic patients.
The four-week study, conducted by Dr. Chung How Kau and associates at the University of Texas Dental Branch at Houston Department of Orthodontics, compared the use of MI Paste Plus versus a fluoride-containing dentifrice (Tom’s of Maine) as the control. Orthodontic patients were randomly assigned to the test or control group, and asked to use their assigned product every night for 3-5 minutes in a tray after brushing. Decalcification was assessed, recorded and compared at baseline for both groups, and at the end of consecutive four-week periods for three months. The Enamel Decalcification Index (EDI) was used to determine the number of orthodontic decalcification on each tooth surface adjacent to the orthodontic brackets (distally, mesially, incisally and gingivally). Results were as follows:
- MI Paste Plus orthodontic patients experienced significantly less decalcification compared to patients using the control dentifrice, as well as a steady decrease of decalcification during the study.
- MI Paste Plus orthodontic patients experienced a 53.5% reduction in decalcification with the greatest decrease on the distal surfaces; the use of MI Paste Plus prevented lesions from developing and resulted in the decrease of existing decalcification. Reduction in decalcification was found at the end of each 4-week period for all tooth surface areas.
- In contrast, orthodontic patients treated with the control dentifrice experienced a 91.1% increase in decalcification with the greatest increase on the distal and gingival surfaces; the dentifrice was found to have no preventive action against orthodontic decalcification. Increase in decalcification was found at the end of each four-week period for all tooth surface areas.
- Throughout the study, it was found that the incisal areas were most affected by decalcification.
MI Paste Plus, which contains 900 ppm fluoride, was found in this study to significantly reduce orthodontic decalcification, a condition that affects up to half of all orthodontic patients. Casein phosphopeptide-amorphous calcium phosphate helps to maintain a high concentration gradient of calcium and phosphate ions at the tooth surface, thereby helping to prevent demineralization and enhance remineralization.
†RECALDENT™ (CPP-ACP) is a trademark used under license.
