A study in vitro of the combined effects of soft drinks and tooth brushing with fluoride toothpaste on the wear of dentine.

The aim of this study was to measure loss of dentine produced by soft drinks alone and combined with tooth brushing with and without toothpastes. Groups of flat human dentine specimens were exposed for 10 min and then 30 min to orange juice (OJ), carbonated cola (CC) or modified blackcurrant (MB) drinks alone or after the exposures brushed with a fluoride toothpaste for 10 s. Further groups were exposed to OJ as before but brushed with water or non-fluoride toothpaste or placed in slurries of fluoride paste. Five cycles of each regimen were carried out. Tissue loss was determined by profilometry. Water immersion/brushing and brushing controls were included. OJ and CC produced similar erosion and significantly more than MB. Compared with drinks alone, dentine loss was reduced by fluoride toothpaste brushing but increased by water and non-fluoride toothpaste brushing. Fluoride toothpaste slurry had no significant effect on soft drink erosion. Very little abrasion with brushing alone was recorded over the time frame of these experiments. It is concluded that fluoride toothpaste could provide protection, albeit small, against erosion. The data again support the concept of brushing before meals.