[Success of preventive dentistry in Switzerland]

Water fluoridation was introduced in Basle in 1962. Caries prevalence (DMFS) ten years after fluoridation was, depending on age, 47 percent to 77 percent lower than before fluoridation. The percentage of pupils entering school with caries free deciduous and permanent teeth increased from 6.7 percent in 1961 to 35.3 percent in 1974. Fluoride tablets (0.5-1.0 mg F) distributed at school approximately 200 times a year were highly effective in inhibiting caries. Mean DMFS caries reductions were about 47 percent. Supervised toothbrushing exercises with concentrated fluoride solutions or rinsing tablets 6 times a year combined with repeated information decreased the caries incidence by approximately 50 percent. Caries reductions in anterior teeth were about 80 percent. The supervised toothbrushing was beneficial to the deciduous teeth and the gingiva. Fluoride tablet distribution combined with supervised fluoride toothbrushing yielded higher reductions.