Caries Reduction by Milk Fluoridation in Bulgaria

Abstract

The aim of the present study has been to investigate the caries-reducing effect of a community-based milk fluoridation project. In those Kindergartens where fluoridated milk had been delivered on a regular basis, the estimated consumption corresponded to a daily intake of 200 mL milk containing 1 mg F- (5 ppm F^-) for periods of 180-200 days per year. A total of 204 six-year-old children, randomly selected, was examined at baseline and three and a half years after the start of the project. A statistically significant reduction in the prevalence of dental caries was obtained for those children who had received fluoridated milk on a regular basis. In six-year-old children, the reduction in the dmft figure was 40% and in the DMFT figure, 90%. Despite the deficiencies in the design of this study (dictated by local circumstances), the results confirm the findings of other studies on the caries-reducing effect of fluoridated milk. The results also confirm that the earlier in the child's life the consumption of fluoridated milk starts, the better the effect.