Abstract
It has been proposed that adequate incorporation of fluoride in teeth, particularly in the outer layer of the enamel, increases resistance of teeth to caries.
For this purpose, topical fluoride application and the use of fluoride mouthwashes have been proposed. But no matter how effective, topical application is not destined to gain wide popularity, because this application can be performed only by dentists or dental hygienists and it reguires some dental facilities. On the other hand, the latter, fluoride mouthwashes, is so simple, , rapid and painless that it can be carried out entirely by instructed and supervised public health personnel.
In this epidemiologic study, the effectiveness of fluoride mouthwashes was examined. Male and female schoolchildren of 10 years of age (Numbers of subjects=223) in Osaka, were divided into two groups, experimental and control. Ten ml of acid fluoride-phosphate mouthwash system (500 ppm F-, pH=5.0) were employed for 30 seconds once a day after lunch at school in the experimental group. In the control group, the condition was the same as the experimental group except that the fluoride solution was replaced with a placebo.
This treatment resulted in caries reduction of 20 to 30% after three years of regular usage. From this result, it was concluded that the fluoride mouthwash can be a useful technique for the control of dental caries on a large scale.
