[Effect of caries prevention using fluorinated mouth washes. Results of a non-randomized field test after 7 years'...

A non-random field test has been run for ascertaining the effectiveness of a cavity prevention program among all the public school students in Mataró. The group under study was comprised of 288 elementary school children (5-6 years of age), on whom rinses of 0.2% FNa were used every two weeks, and the control group, comprised of 167 children, students at private schools not participating in the program. Both groups have been monitored for 7 years (up to the 8th grade) and the number of their cavities compared. A 24% reduction in the net Annual Cavity Rate (broken-down according to sex) has been observed. At the end of the study, only 5% of the control group was Cavity free, as compared to 17.3% of those who had used groups used the fluoride rinses. The differences between the two groups remain statistically significant on taking into account the effect of other factors such as the sex of the individuals in question and some personal care habits.