Effect of school-based fluoride mouth-rinsing on dental caries incidence among schoolchildren in the Kingdom of Tonga

Abstract

Since 1998, the authors have been working to improve the oral health of children at kindergartens and primary schools in the Kingdom of Tonga (Tonga). Our primary activity has been a school-based fluoride mouth-rinsing (FMR) program. FMR is performed using 7-10 mL of a 0.2% NaF solution for 1 min once per week at each school. In the present study, we evaluated the effect of schoolbased FMR on dental caries incidence among Tongan schoolchildren. A total of 109 children aged 10 years were evaluated at six primary schools on Tongatapu Island. The FMR group comprised 46 children who had participated in the school-based FMR program for at least 5 years 6 months; the control group comprised 63 children who had participated in the school-based FMR program for 1 year or less. During standardized dental examinations, decayed, missing, and filled teeth were counted by a single dentist at each school.

Evaluation of the child oral health promotion ‘MaliMali’ Programme based on schools in the Kingdom of Tonga

“…Moreover, because the caries‐prevention effect of fluoride‐containing dentifrice was established in 1945 and more than 100 reports have since provided evidence of its efficacy, the MaliMali Programme also included TBI with a fluoride‐containing dentifrice. Previously, Tongans did not have any established toothbrushing practices; however, all children surveyed reported brushing their teeth more than once a day in 2008. This result is probably associated with reductions in both mean DMFT scores and the DMF personal rates in both genders ( Table ).…”

“…In the MaliMali Programme, toothbrushing instruction (TBI), oral health education and periodic mouthrinsing with fluoride are performed as a school‐based dental‐health promotion. The effect of mouthrinsing with fluoride on the prevention of dental caries in Tonga has previously been reported. Currently, the MaliMali Programme is co‐managed by the SPMT, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Ministries of Health and Education in Tonga.…”

Veli̇leri̇n ‘Okullarda Florürlü Verni̇k Uygulamasi’ Programi Hakkinda Tutum Ve Yaklaşimlarinin Değerlendi̇ri̇lmesi̇

“…6 Takeuchi ve ark. 7 , Matsuyama ve ark., 8 okullarda düzenli olarak florürlü gargara uygulamasının yeni çürük oluşumunu azalttığını bildirmişlerdir. Ancak gelişmekte olan ve koruyucu diş hekimliği uygulamalarının yaygın olmadığı ülkelerde, ağız ve diş sağlığı problemleri, ciddi ekonomik ve sosyal sorunlar oluşturmaya devam etmektedir.…”