Clinical effects of preventive regimens for young people in their early and middle teens in relation to previous experience with dental prevention

Abstract

The clinical effects of different preventive regimens provided for young people in their early and middle teens were studied during a 2-year period. The regimens studied during the 1st year of the trial were professional tooth-cleaning plus fluoride mouth-rinsing every 3rd week versus fluoride varnish treatment every 6 months. During the 2nd year, the preventive measures were given in accordance with the estimated needs of each individual. The results were related to the individuals' previous experience with dental prevention to determine whether this had a significant influence. The results showed that fairly good or excellent effects on the individuals' oral hygiene and gingival status were readily achieved and maintained with a professional tooth-cleaning plus fluoride mouth-rinsing regimen. The study failed to demonstrate any superior caries-preventive effect of the fluoride varnish treatments. Subsequent individualized prevention produced similar average end results in all groups. Differences in the results in accordance with the individuals' previous experience with dental prevention indicate a superior and prolonged influence on dental health of professional tooth-cleaning plus fluoride mouth-rinsing in comparison with a fluoride-based program alone.