Fluoropolymers as low-surface-energy tooth coatings for oral care.

A range of low-surface-energy fluoropolymers has been synthesised and their effectiveness as dental-care coatings for plaque, stain and erosion prevention has been evaluated using a series of oral care models employing pressed discs of calcium hydroxyapatite or sections of human teeth. Since the blocking of dentinal tubules is a key mechanistic strategy in the treatment of dentine hypersensitivity, the capability of these non-permanent fluoropolymer coatings to occlude the pore structure of human dentine and to reduce the outward flow of simulated dentinal fluid has also been investigated. Several of the fluoropolymer coatings have been found to inhibit bacterial adhesion but no correlation has been established between anti-adhesion efficacy and fluorine content or surface energy. All the fluoropolymers have been seen to reduce stain uptake by pellicle-coated HA discs, with homopolymers being considerably more effective than copolymers. Some fluoropolymer coatings have also been shown to inhibit the acid demineralisation of hydroxyapatite discs and to reduce dentine permeability. Coatings of the 2:1 copolymer of 1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorodecyl acrylate and 2-hydroxyethyl acrylate are most promising, exhibiting significant anti-adhesion and anti-erosion efficacy and reducing dentine permeability to a level that is comparable with that achieved with the standard treatment employed in commercial anti-sensitivity formulations.