Impact of 24-month fluoride tablet program on children with disabilities in a non-fluoridated country

• Published in: Research in developmental disabilities 2013-09, Vol.34 (9), p.2598-2605
• Main Authors: Liu, Hsiu-Yueh, Hung, Hsin-Chia, Hsiao, Szu-Yu, Chen, Hong-Sen, Yen, Yea-Yin, Huang, Shun-Te, Chen, Chun-Chih, Chen, Ping-Ho, Chen, Cheng-Chin, Lin, Pei-Chen, Lu, Yun-Lin
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Caries; Caries prevention; Cariostatic Agents - administration & dosage; Child; Children; Dental Caries - complications; Dental Caries - prevention & control; Developmental Disabilities - complications; Disabilities; Disabled Children; Effectiveness; Female; Fluoride; Fluorides - administration & dosage; Humans; Male; Medical sciences; Mental health; Oral examinations; Prevention. Health policy. Planification; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; School based; Schools; Social psychiatry. Ethnopsychiatry; Supplements; Tablets; Tablets - administration & dosage; Taiwan; Treatment Outcome
• ISSN: 0891-4222; 1873-3379
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ridd.2013.05.006

•Establishing an oral prevention program for children with disabilities is critical.•We evaluated the effectiveness of caries reduction by long term fluoride ingestion.•Fluoride tablet ingestion with 1.0mg fluoride daily and persisted for 24 months.•Fluoride tablets were found to be effective in arresting dental caries by 36.84% in permanent dentition.•Fluoride tablets should be considered as one of the preventive measures in caries prevention programs in fluoride deficient areas. The aim of this study was to evaluate the caries preventive effects of a school-based fluoride tablet program in children with disabilities. Two hundred and seventeen children with disabilities were divided into two groups: the intervention group (IG) ingested 1.0mg fluoride tablet daily while the control group (CG) ingested a placebo. The initial oral examinations were conducted prior to fluoride intake and 24-month follow-up examinations were conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of fluoride tablet ingestion. The results from this study demonstrated significant reductions in the DMFT index (the sum of decayed, missing, and filled permanent teeth), 0.63, as well as the DMFS index (the sum of decayed, missing, and filled surfaces of the permanent dentition), 1.25, when compared with the CG. A statistically significant reduction in the DMFT index and DMFS index (30.42% and 36.84%, respectively) suggested an anti-cariogenic benefit to fluoride tablet administration. Greater caries reduction occurred on mesio-distal and bucco-lingual surfaces (53.27% and 52.57%, respectively). Fluoride tablets should be considered as a caries preventive strategy in school-based caries prevention programs for children with disabilities in fluoride deficient areas.