Anticaries effect of different amine fluoride concentrations in schoolchildren

A double-blind 3-year clinical trial was conducted in a nonfluoridated water community in which 354 schoolchildren aged 9-10 years were assigned randomly to three groups (A, B and C) and subjected to a treatment with 1 of 3 different concentrations of amine fluoride solution every 2 months. Clinical examinations were conducted at baseline and after 1, 2, and 3 years. For group A (positive control) receiving topical applications of amine fluoride solution (1%), the 3-year DMFT and DMFS increments were 4.0 +/- (SD) 2.7 and 8.5 +/- 5.6, respectively. For group B (0.5% F), the DMFT and DMFS increments were 4.4 +/- 3.0 and 8.4 +/- 5.7, respectively; these differences being statistically not significant. The mean caries increments in group C (0.25% F) were 5.1 +/- 2.9 for DMFT and 10.0 +/- 5.5 for DMFS. The differences in incremental caries scores between group C and groups A or B were statistically significant (p < 0.05). Thus, the amine fluoride solution, in which the fluoride content was reduced by half, provided similar caries reductions in schoolchildren as did a standard amine fluoride solution with 1.0% F.