Can New Remineralizing Agents Serve as Fluoride Alternatives in Caries Prevention? A Scoping Review

    Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

    19 Downloads (Pure)

    Abstract

    Background: Due to limitations of fluoride (F) treatment as a main caries preventive measure, it is important to consider the use of other dental caries preventive measures to reduce caries prevalence, especially in its early stages. Recently, new remineralizing agents appeared on the market, with their commercial availability in a variety of oral care products.
    Objectives: The purposes include providing a scoping review that represents caries remineralizing efficacies of only commercially available products and their existing adverse effects (if it is presented) and ensuring that only evidence-based approved products are included.
    Methods: The following databases were used in searching scientific literature on 28 October 2024: PubMed, PubMed Advanced Search, MeSH database, and PubMed Clinical Queries. The study selection criteria were as follows: for laboratory, in vitro, and/or in situ—remineralization of enamel-scanning electron microscopy, spectroscopy, microhardness test, light microscopy, profilometry, transverse microhardness microradiography, integrated mineral loss, light microscopy, photothermal radiometry; if it was a randomized controlled trial—CONSORT protocol, ICDAS system (to detect dental caries), diagnostic additional devices; antibacterial ability-colony forming units, DNA-based sequencing, scanning electron microscopy, crystal violet staining, and confocal laser scanning microscopy.
    Results: This review includes 98 papers: 14 of them describing the current status of caries patterns in the world, 60 studies (45 laboratory studies and 15 RCTs), and 24 systematic reviews were analyzed in order to detect whether new remineralizing agents can replace fluoride in further caries prevention.
    Conclusions: All reviewed new remineralization agents could be used without additives to treat early caries lesions, but the combination with F promotes better remineralization. Only HAP demonstrated its potential to serve as an alternative to fluoride in oral care products. However, further clinical studies are needed
    to prove its role in the remineralizing process of initial caries lesions. One also needs to ensure that both the clinical trials and in vitro lab studies use the best gold standards to validate any changes in the tooth structure, both remineralization and demineralization.
    Original languageEnglish
    Article number47
    Pages (from-to)1-18
    Number of pages18
    JournalOral
    Volume5
    Issue number3
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - Sept 2025

    Keywords*

    • remineralizing agents
    • amorphous calcium phosphate
    • ACP
    • polyphosphate systems
    • STMP
    • functionalized β-tricalcium phosphate
    • calcium sodium phosphosilicate
    • CSP
    • casein phosphopeptide–amorphous calcium phosphate
    • CPP-ACP
    • self-assembling polypeptide
    • P11-4
    • nano-hydroxyapatite
    • fluoride
    • white spot lesions
    • early caries lesions
    • initial caries
    • oral microflora
    • oral biofilm

    Field of Science*

    • 3.2 Clinical medicine

    Publication Type*

    • 1.1. Scientific article indexed in Web of Science and/or Scopus database

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'Can New Remineralizing Agents Serve as Fluoride Alternatives in Caries Prevention? A Scoping Review'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this