RESUMO
The aim of the present study was to determine in vitro the erosive capacity of different common drinks employing intrinsic pH, soluble solids and buffer effect at pH 5.5 and pH 7.0 as end-points. Fifty- two drinks of mass consumption were selected and grouped according to type into 3 groups: 1: Juices (n = 23); 2: soy beverages (n = 18); 3: carbonated drinks (n = 11). The mean and standard deviation were calculated for each drink and for each group of drinks. The statistical analysis of the data was performed by Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Tukeys test for multiple comparisons. Statistical significance was set at p < or = 0.05. The data showed that the 3 groups exhibited initial acid pH values. Natural juices had the greatest buffer effect. The soluble solids, expressed as Brix Grades, showed statistically significant differences between the regular and light forms of carbonated and soy beverages. The light and regular forms of the drinks included in the study failed to show statistically significant differences at pH 5.5 and pH 7.0.
RESUMO
The aim of this work was to study the effect of a preventive program on the dental plaque and on the caries incidence in school children. The program comprised weekly supervised self brushing with acidulated phosphate fluoride (APF) gel (pH 5.6; concentration: 4520 ppm of ion F-). The program involved 240 children of 1st., 3rd and 5th grade of a primary school in the City of Buenos Aires (Argentina). The population was divided in 2 groups: A (experimental) and B (control). Ninety children from both groups (45 experimental and 45 control) were submitted to baseline clinical examination (DMFT and plaque index) and microbiological analysis (total streptococci, St mutans and St. mutans and St. mutans percentage). Group A was then submitted to a preventive program which included self brushing with APF gel (4520 ppm of ion F-). The 90-children sample was monitored after 1 and 2 years of program. Results were statistically processed and they revealed the following: a--DMFT was significantly greater in the control group than in the experimental group after 1 and 2 years of program; b--an 81.43
reduction in caries increment rate at the end of the 2-years program in the experimental group as compared to the control group; c--a rise in the number of colonies of total streptococci and of St. Mutans; d--a reduction in the
of St. mutans in the total streptococci flora in the plaque of children in the experimental group; e--the presence of St. mutans colonies featuring a rough surface; f--the effectiveness of the program in the modifying the profile of the diagnosed dental pathology.