Fluoride prescription practices of Ohio physicians.

In 1985 a fluoride supplement survey was mailed to all members of the Ohio Academy of Family Physicians and the Ohio chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. The response rate after two mailings was 60.2 percent. Of the respondents who were identified as either family physicians or pediatricians, 76.6 percent reportedly prescribed fluoride supplements for at least some of their child patients. Pediatricians were more likely to prescribe fluoride supplements than were family physicians. Younger physicians also were more apt to prescribe fluoride supplements than were their older colleagues. Only 6.2 percent of those physicians who prescribed fluoride adhered to a minimum protocol of inquiring about the fluoride content of the child's drinking water, having the water analyzed when the fluoride content was unknown, and continuing fluoride supplements until at least age ten. Medical schools, and especially residency programs, should include a preventive dental segment that uses a state-specific protocol for the prescription of fluoride, including where water may be analyzed. For those already in practice, the preferred method of providing information may be short articles in local journals or newsletters. Public health dentists should assist the medical profession in this educational process.