Dentaltown · May 2026
Fluoride varnish:
marketing vs. science.
A published comparison of enamel-bound fluoride uptake across four different formulas. The data points to one conclusion: if it washes off, it isn't working.
“…As this data shows, varnishes that adhere to the enamel of the teeth provide significantly greater fluoride uptake than varnishes that do not.”
— Dr. Clifton Carey, Ph.D., University of Colorado
* Graph showing the comparison of enamel bound fluoride for three F-varnishes (Centrix FluoroDose 5% NaF, Colgate Duraphat 5% NaF, and Elevate Oral Care FluoriMax 2.5% NaF) and one fluoride treatment (3M ClinPro Clear Fluoride Treatment 2.1% NaF) as published in Dentaltown, May 2026 article, “What We Know About Fluoride Releasing Varnish” by Clifton Carey, Ph.D.
Fluoride varnish is designed to protect healthy enamel — not just damaged enamel.
The primary goal of fluoride varnish is prevention: driving fluoride into sound enamel to form long-lasting fluorapatite and reduce future mineral loss. That process takes hours, not minutes — which is why the varnish has to stay put.
Some marketing claims focus on demineralized enamel uptake instead.
Many published claims around water-based formulas emphasize fluoride interaction with demineralized enamel — white spot lesions — which is more porous, making uptake easier and often inflating the uptake data when compared to healthy enamel.
In his article, Dr. Carey specifically notes that fluoride uptake in white spot lesions is often much higher than in sound enamel, making direct comparisons misleading.
Left: water-based varnish is easily rinsed off by saliva. Right: FluoroDose varnish adheres to enamel.
Dentaltown · May 2026
If fluoride doesn’t stay on the tooth, it can’t do its job.
“…without a varnish layer to hold the fluoride on the tooth surface, the released ions will be quickly washed away by saliva before any significant enamel-bound fluoride is made.”
— Dr. Clifton Carey, Ph.D., University of Colorado
FluoroDose, an adhesive varnish, showed 3× greater fluoride uptake in 3 hours — the highest of any formula in the study. Sticky varnishes that remain on enamel delivered roughly three times more fluoride uptake than treatments that wash away.
The bottom line
Why pay more for less fluoride uptake?
Give FluoroDose a try and we’ll beat your current fluoride varnish price. Schedule a call with your Centrix Account Representative.
