RESUMO
PURPOSE: To evaluate in situ a magnesium hydroxide-[Mg(OH)2] based dentifrice on enamel erosion. METHODS: Human dental enamel slabs were selected by surface microhardness and randomly assigned to one out of the following three groups (n=18): non-fluoride (control), NaF (1,450 ppm F), and Mg(OH)2 dentifrices. 18 volunteers were enrolled in a randomized, crossover and double-blind study, with three phases in 5 days. They wore acrylic palatal appliances containing two human enamel slabs, which were treated with one of the three dentifrices. During each experimental phase, the specimens were subjected to erosion by immersion in 0.01 M HCl for 60 seconds, 4x/day, followed by a 1-minute treatment with the correspondent slurry (saliva/dentifrice). Enamel changes were determined by the percentage of surface hardness loss (%SHL) and mechanical profilometry analysis. Data were analyzed by ANOVA, followed by Tukey's test (P< 0.05). RESULTS: The means (SD) for %SHL and surface wear (µm) were, respectively, as follows: control [50.67(17.48), 2.70(1.24) ], NaF [45.45(15.44), 1.95(0.70) ] and Mg(OH)2 [53.94(19.48), 1.95(0.67) ]. There was no statistically significant difference among the treated and control groups for %SHL (P= 0.349); however, for wear rates, a statistically significant difference was found between the groups treated with NaF and Mg(OH)2 and the control group (P= 0.04). CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Dentifrices containing magnesium hydroxide or sodium fluoride might be an important strategy to minimize the effects of erosive challenges.