Systemic fluorides: drops and tablets

Fluoride drops and tablets are effective caries-inhibiting agents which exercise their benefit through mainly topical means. Results of caries trials in which drops or tablets were used in the home vary from excellent to poor, depending on the compliance rates of both parents and offspring. Delivery in schools has also produced reductions of > 80%, and as poor as 20%, again possibly dependent on teacher vigilance. The pre-natal controversy re fluoride tablet benefits has only recently been tested under a true double-blind protocol and resulted in a non-significant effect, although the trend was in favour of those whose mothers had taken F- tablets during pregnancy. Hence, while at the individual level, the slow intra-oral dissolution of fluoride tablets can be of great benefit for coronal caries in children, adolescents, and possibly medically compromised adults (with or without root caries), their contribution on a community basis cannot readily be compared with that of water or salt fluoridation. Although fluoride tablets have been held responsible for an increase in fluorosis prevalence, data which were assessed blind now exist to show that a daily dosage of 0.25 mg fluoride from birth is not associated with dental fluorosis, if additional fluoride products are not used injudiciously over the same period.