1990 Volume 40 Issue 1 Pages 112-127
The purpose of this study was to clarify the cariostatic effect when mouth rinsing with dilute fluoride solution was introduced into school dental health programs.
The subjects were 300 children (160 boys and 140 girls), who used a 100ppm fluoride mouth rinse with for 6 years. These subjects were analysed by cohort observation. As controls, 943 schoolchildren (479 boys and 464 girls) in 1986 and 1987 who had no fluoride mouth rinsing were analysed by longitudinal observation and were compared with the fluoride group. A precise oral examination was carried out once a year. An evaluation of cariostatic effect was performed by DMFT index, DMF rate for each tooth type, and comparison between fluoride groups of DMF rate of upper and lower first molar for each school grade at time of eruption.
The increment of DMFT index in the fluoride group was less than in the control group. It showed a statistically significant cariostatic effect in the higher grades for both boys and girls. The DMF rate for each tooth type of 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 5 and 7 was reduced in the fluoride group and showed a statistically significant difference for both boys and girls. The DMF rate of upper first molar erupted during the first or second school grade showed no difference, but there was cariostatic effect when the molar erupted during the third grade.
As a result, we recognized that a high cariostatic effect was obtained by introducing mouth rinsing with a solution of 100ppm fluoride into school dental health programs. Observation of DMF rate for each tooth type classified by school grade at time of eruption was a useful method for evaluating the cariostatic effect of fluoride mouth rinsing.
