The fluoride ion in artificial saliva significantly changed semiconductor characteristic of the passive film formed on the surface of 316L stainless steels. The electrochemical results showed that nanocrystalline alpha'-martensite improved corrosion resistance of the stainless steel in a typical artificial saliva compared with coarse grained stainless steel. Moreover, comparing with nitrided coarse grained stainless steel, corrosion resistance of the nitrided nanocrystalline stainless steel was also improved significantly, even in artificial saliva solution containing fluoride ion. The present study showed that the cryogenic cold rolling and electrochemical nitridation improved corrosion resistance of 316L stainless steel for the dental application. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.