Arginine has emerged as a promising nonfluoride alternative for caries prevention. Metabolized by arginolytic bacteria, it produces ammonia that helps neutralize the acidic oral environment , thereby reducing the risk of enamel demineralization and slowing caries progression. While fluoride’s dose-dependent anticaries effects are well established, similar evidence for arginine remains limited. To evaluate its efficacy, a large-scale clinical trial was conducted involving 6,000 children aged 10 to 14 years with at least two active caries lesions.
Participants were randomly assigned to use dentifrices containing 8.0% arginine, 1.5% arginine, or 0.32% sodium fluoride (NaF). Caries outcomes were assessed after two years using DMFS (decayed, missing, and filled surfaces) and DMFT (decayed, missing, and filled teeth) indices. The results showed that the 8.0% arginine dentifrice significantly…
