comparison of the effect of fluoride varnish and gc tooth mousse on enamel hardness in primary dentition

Background: caries causes progressive demyelination in the tooth structure. this study was conducted to address concerns regarding the decay of milk teeth, which are important for children's growth and nutrition. therefore, the aim of this study is to compare the effects of fluoride varnish and gc tooth mousse on the enamel hardness of milk teeth. methods: in this laboratory study, 36 human primary mandibular incisors were included. the samples were subjected to a hardness test (50 grams, 10 hours) after proper cleansing (primary measurement). then the samples were randomly divided into 3 groups as follows (n=12): the gc tooth mousse group, the fluoride varnish group, and the control group. the teeth were exposed to the test materials based on their group and their hardness was measured (secondary measurement). finally, each group was placed in acetic acid for 6 hours, and the hardness was measured for the third time (tertiary measurement). data were analyzed using spss v.22.results: the findings showed that the enamel resistance after exposure to fluoride varnish and gc tooth mousse was 471.86 and 405.45, respectively. however, after exposure to acid, the resistance was reduced to 291.5 and 233.66 in the fluoride varnish and gc tooth mousse groups, respectively. the highest resistance was observed in the fluoride varnish, gc tooth mousse, and control groups, respectively. the enamel resistance in the fluoride varnish and gc tooth mousse groups was 82.2 and 38.99 units higher than in the control group, respectively. this difference was statistically significant (p=0.001).conclusion: the results of this study indicat that both fluoride varnish and gc tooth mousse increased enamel resistance. however, fluoride varnish showed better outcomes compared to gc tooth mousse.