Effect of nonfluoridated remineralizing agents on initial enamel carious lesions: A systematic review

Abstract

Background: Although fluoride enables remineralization, presence of calcium and phosphate ions is necessary to promote the process. So, various nonfluoridated remineralizing agents have been emerging to treat the noncavitated carious lesions. Aim: The aim of this systematic review was to assess the clinical effectiveness of nonfluoridated remineralizing agents on initial enamel carious lesions. Methods: Seven electronic databases were searched using the key words. In total, 158 human clinical trials were retrieved in the search from January 1950 to October 2016. Seventy-one repeated articles were excluded. Among the 87 articles obtained, 53 articles were eliminated after reading the title and abstracts. After assessing the full text, 28 articles were excluded. Three more studies were included from the cross references of the articles chosen. Results: All the nine trials included assessed the clinical effectiveness of casein phosphopeptide amorphous calcium phosphate (CPP ACP). They showed a positive effect of CPP ACP on the remineralization of white spot lesions. Conclusion: The use of CPP ACP resulted in significant reduction of the white spot lesion size measured using visual examination methods. This systematic review indicated a lack of reliable evidence supporting the clinical effectiveness of other commercially available nonfluoridated remineralizing agents.

Keywords

• Casein phosphopeptide amorphous calcium phosphate
• enamel carious lesion
• nonfluoridated agents
• remineralisation