Experiments on local and systemic action of fluoride in caries inhibition in the rat

Abstract Fluoride administered to rats by gastric intubation was associated with an increase in fluoride uptake by the enamel and caries inhibition, but to a lesser extent than in animals consuming the same amount of fluoride in the drinking water. These differences were more pronounced in the first and second molars which erupted within 2 or 3 days of the start of the experiment than on the third molars which had at least two weeks of pre-eruptive exposure to systemic fluoride.