Dental health status and attitudes to dental care in families participating in a Danish fluoride tablet program

Abstract

The caries experience and dental fluorosis of 84 Danish children, who had used fluoride tablets for 1-4 yr in the period 1976-80, were compared with those of a group matching in sex, age, place of living, and socioeconomic status. The average age of the children at the time of examination was 5.8 yr. A recording of mothers' attitudes to dental care, knowledge about tooth brushing, attitudes to candy, and number of teeth in the maxilla showed no difference between the fluoride tablet group and the non-users' group. Moreover, there was no significant difference between the two groups with respect to dental caries. The findings are discussed in relation to recent reports on the decline of dental caries resulting from widespread use of local administration of fluorides.

Preventive oral health care and health promotion provided for children and adolescents by the Municipal Dental Health Service in Denmark

“…In a Copenhagen suburb, an evaluation study has shown that the eect of¯uoride rinsing is poor if a wellestablished dental care system exists and appropriate dental habits are developed in the population [15]. Previous studies [16] have shown that¯uoride tablets and¯uoride chewing gum are seldom indicated in dental health services, the present study con®rms this. Indications for ®ssure sealing have only been described in a few reports [17,18].…”

The role of fluoride tablets in the prophylaxis of dental caries. A literature review

“…Riordan maintains that all these variables can alter the testing results (17). Only a few supplement studies have taken account of factors such as socio-economic status or parent's educational level, but these studies suggest that such variables are more important for caries prevention than the use of supplements (19)(20)(21). According to Spencer "fluoride can prevent caries up to 71%" but just 2% of this reduction is due to the contribution of tablets and the reasons for the low contribution of fluoride supplements were poor efficacy in a time when caries incidence is low, and poor compliance with recommendations to use it (22).…”

Fluoride Supplements in Caries Prevention: A Literature Review and Proposal for a New Dosage Schedule

“…This theory had an interesting later test. A group of 84 children (mean age 5.8 years) who had used supplements for 1 4 years was matched with regard to age, sex, residence, and socioeconomic status with 84 supplement nonusers in a low-fluoride area (136). The mothers' attitudes toward dental care, their knowledge of oral hygene and diet, and their dental status corresponded between the groups.…”