FLUORIDE-RELEASING DENTAL RESTORATIVE MATERIALS

In the 1940s, dentists observed that secondary caries was rarely assoc iated with silicate cement restorations. While the relatively stable d imensional properties of those restorations were undoubtedly a factor in this fortunate circumstance, the fact that fluoride was inherent in the composition of the material received the greater credit. By the m id-1980s, a wide variety of fluoride-releasing dental restorative mate rials were available to dentists and dental consumers, and the cariost atic effect of fluoride ions on enamel caries had been demonstrated in many studies. This paper reviews much of the fluoride-related researc h conducted on fluoride-releasing amalgam, glass-ionomer cements, comp osites, primers, sealants, liners, acrylic resins, and orthodontic bra cket bonding materials. The need for standardization of test methods i s addressed, as is the need for more controlled clinical trials and ad ditional research.