Synergistic effect between plant extracts and fluoride to protect against enamel erosion: An in vitro study

Polyphenol-rich solutions, such as plant extracts and teas, can modify the salivary pellicle and improve the protection against dental erosion. In this study, we further explored how these polyphenol-rich plant extracts solutions behave in the presence of fluoride. We distributed enamel specimens into 9 groups (n = 15): Control_No_F(-) (Deionized water); Control_F(-) (500 ppm F-), Grape_Seed_No_F(-) (Grape seed extract), Grape_Seed_F(-) (Grape seed extract + 500 ppm F(-)), Grapefruit_Seed_No_F(-) (Grapefruit seed extract), Grapefruit_Seed_F(-) (Grapefruit seed extract + 500 ppm F(-)), Blueberry_No_F(-) (Blueberry extract), Blueberry_F(-) (Blueberry extract + 500 ppm F(-)), and Sn(2+)/F(-)_Rinse (commercial solution containing 800 ppm Sn(2+) and 500 ppm F(-)). The specimens were submitted to 5 cycles (1 cycle per day), and each cycle consisted of: salivary pellicle formation (human saliva, 30 min, 37°C), modification of the pellicle (2 min, 25°C), pellicle formation (60 min, 37°C), and an erosive challenge (1 min, citric acid). Between cycles, the specimens were kept in a humid chamber. Relative surface hardness (rSH), relative surface reflection intensity (rSRI) and calcium released to the acid were analysed, using general linear models, and Kruskal-Wallis with post-hoc Dunn’s tests. We observed that the presence of fluoride in synergy with the extract solutions provided better protection than the groups containing extract or fluoride only. For rSH, we observed a significant main effect of extracts (F(4,117) = 9.20; p<0.001) and fluoride (F(1,117) = 511.55; p<0.001), with a significant interaction (F(3,117) = 6.71; p<0.001). Grape_Seed_F(-) showed the best protection, better than fluoride, and Sn(2+)/F(-)_Rinse. Calcium results also showed greater protection for the groups containing fluoride, whereas for rSRI, despite a significant interaction between extract and fluoride (F(3,117) = 226.05; p<0.001), the differences between the groups were not as clearly observed. We conclude that polyphenols from plant extracts, when combined with fluoride, improve the protective effect of salivary pellicles against enamel erosion.