THE EFFECT OF VANADIUM PENTOXIDE, FLUORIDES, AND TIN COMPOUNDS ON THE DENTAL CARIES EXPERIENCE IN RATS

¹ Indiana University, Bloomington, Ind.

Stannous fluoride (alone and with sodium or potassium fluoride), stannous chloride (alone and with sodium fluoride), stannous gluconate (alone and with sodium fluoride), and potassium fluorostannite were administered to weanling rats in the drinking water for 140 days. Dental caries rates were significantly reduced by stannous fluoride, by potassium fluorostannite, and by stannous chloride and stannous gluconate to which sodium fluoride was added. The stannous salts alone (without fluoride) were essentially without effect. Stannous fluoride supplying fluoride at a level of 30 µg/ml. was more effective than an equimolecular mixture of stannous fluoride with either sodium or potassium fluoride, which furnished fluoride at the same level; in the latter cases the tin level was, of course, reduced by 50 per cent.

The effectiveness of vanadium pentoxide, ammonium silicofluoride, sodium hexafluorostannite, sodium fluoride, stannic fluoride, and potassium fluoride were studied for their anticariogenic effectiveness in rats. None of the solutions significantly reduced the incidence of dental caries except stannic fluoride and sodium fluoride, and these were significant only at a low level of confidence. The vanadium pentoxide solutions were highly toxic as evidence by the failure of the rats to gain weight normally as well as by the high mortality during the study.