The purpose of this study was to evaluate the separate effect of fluoride dentifrice, fluoride mouthrinsing and fluoride varnish on approximal dental caries. All 252 13-14-yr-old children at an elementary school were selected at random and divided among four groups for a 3-yr longitudinal study. Group 1 received a fluoride dentifrice for home care and a fluoride mouthrinse once a week. Group 2 received a fluoride dentifrice for home care and a placebo mouthrinse once a week. Group 3 received a fluoride dentifrice for home care and a fluoride varnish once every 3 months. Group 4 received a placebo dentifrice for home care and a fluoride rinse once a week. Fluoride rinsing did not give any additional effect compared with placebo-rinsing when a fluoride dentifrice was used for home care. Fluoride varnish gave a significant caries reduction compared with fluoride rinsing.
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