There is very little information available from controlled clinical trials to determine the effectiveness of various systemic and topical fluoride measures for the prevention of root surface caries. However, there is considerable information available to suggest that fluoride may be of significant benefit in the prevention of this disease which afflicts a significant portion of our adult population. With regard to root caries, there has been no methodical evaluation of the cariostatic potential of the various fluoride systems which are presently available and widely-used for the prevention of coronal caries. As a result, there are no fluoride systems which can be recommended for the prevention of this disease other than lifelong consumption of fluoridated water. This investigation will utilize a hamster root caries model to methodically assess the cariostatic potential of various systemic and topical fluoride delivery systems with regard to the prevention of root surface caries. Previous studies have demonstrated the formation of root surface caries in these animals following their infection with a streptomycin-resistant strain of Actinomyces viscosus T6. This model will be used to determine the effectiveness of different concentrations of fluoride in the drinking water and will collect information concerning the mechanism of action of this form of fluoride usage. The investigation will also determine the relative ability of topical fluoride applications, fluoride rinses, and fluoride dentifrices to inhibit the development of root surface caries. Finally, various combinations of the most cariostatic measures will be assessed for their root-caries-preventive potential. The results of this investigation will identify those fluoride delivery systems, and combinations thereof, which have the greatest potential for the prevention of root surface caries. This information will be of value not only to the scientific community but especially for the design and conduct of future clinical trials to assess the value of fluoride for the prevention of root surface caries in our adult population.
