Cytotoxicity, genotoxicity, and cellular metal accumulation caused by professionally-applied fluoride products in patients with fixed orthodontic appliances

This study was to investigate the in vivo corrosion of fixed orthodontic appliances caused by APF, NGel, or FVa by evaluating the amount of metal ions in oral mucosal cells, their cytotoxicity, and their possible genotoxic effect.
Buccal mucosal cells were collected before treatment (T1) and 3 months after appliance placement (T2). The cells were assayed for cell viability and underwent Papanicolaou staining. Micronuclei (MN) and degenerative nuclear alterations were scored using a light microscope. Cell metal content was quantified by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry.