Effect of the routine professional application of topical fluoride on caries and treatment experience in adolescents of low socio-economic status in the Netherlands.

The purpose of this study was to study the effect of professionally applied topical fluoride on oral health status at the population level in adolescents with low socio-economic status. Adolescents attending dental clinics where professional fluoride application was a routine procedure (high-fluoride group) were compared to adolescents from other clinics (low-fluoride group). The study consisted of a questionnaire, a clinical examination and two bitewing radiographs. X-rays showed no statistically significant differences in the number of DS, FS or DFS. Clinically, there were no statistically significant differences in the number of FS or in the number of DFS. The low-fluoride group had a statistically significant higher number of DS than the high-fluoride group. The results indicate that professionally applied fluoride has no effect on caries and treatment experience in a population. These results justify a randomized clinical trial on a population level to study the effectiveness of professionally applied topical fluorides. Copyright 2003 S. Karger AG, Basel