Abstract
The purpose of this research was to study the effectiveness of Profluorid varnish in preventing caries in permanent teeth in primary school children.
Methods: Nine-year-old children attending two schools in one district of Minsk, Belarus were randomized to the intervention group (fluoride varnish application after supervised tooth brushing) and the control group (supervised tooth brushing 2 times a year). Children in the intervention group (n=37) had Profluorid varnish (5% NaF) applications. Children from the control group (n=38) had the same series of contacts. Regional ethical approval, the Head teacher and parental agreement were obtained. The dental examination was performed using a dental chair at school. Interventions were undertaken by one dentist at six-monthly intervals during one year. DMFS index was recording by another dentist who was blind to the study groups. The dental caries increment was calculated by comparing baseline and follow-up data. Data was statistically analysed using the chi-square test, p value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Results: The mean age of children was 9.0±0.3 years. Each child had on average 12.2±0.1 permanent teeth. The mean DMFS was 1.07 in the intervention group and 1.26 in the control group (p>0.05). Carious lesions were diagnosed exclusively on the first permanent molars. The number of permanent teeth increased to 16.1 in the intervention group and to 17.6 in the control group after 1 year. The mean DMFS index was 1.41 in the intervention group and 1.87 in the control group. The differences were statistically significant (χ2 = 4.9; p<0.05). The DMFS increment was significantly lower in the intervention group compared to the control group by an average of 0.27 surfaces per child, a prevented fraction of 44.4%.
Conclusions: The study results confirm the caries preventive effectiveness of Profluorid varnish on first permanent molars.
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