COMBINED SELF-APPLIED FLUORIDES AND SEALANTS FOR CARIES PREVENTION

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A self-administered dental health program was initiated in Nelson County, Va., a fluoride-deficient community in October 1972. Children in the County's schools, under teacher supervision, chewed and ingested daily a 1 mg F tablet and rinsed weekly with a 0.2% NaF solution. A fluoride dentifrice was provided for ad libitum use at home. Baseline DMFS examinations were made of 2,138 children in the County's elementary, junior high, and senior high schools. Follow-up DMFS examinations were conducted at two-to-three year intervals. Final examinations were conducted in 1983 when the full effectiveness of the fluoride program could be assessed. In the fall of 1983, a sealant program was added to the ongoing fluoride program. Children who were 6, 7, 12, and 13 were eligible to have pit- and-fissure sealants applied. An initial screening to identify those tooth surfaces to be sealed was made in December 1983. Caries data (DMFS) from the September 1983 dental examination served as a baseline for those children who participated in the sealant phase of the study. In succeeding years, new groups of 6 and 12 year olds were enrolled. Treatments continued for four years. Interim dental examinations took place at the start of the third year of the study (September 1985) and final examinations were made in September 1987. Data analysis is complete and preparation of a final report is underway.