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Effectiveness of two school-based caries preventive programmes

A J Louw¹, I L Carstens, J E Hartshorne

¹Department of Community Dentistry, University of Stellenbosch, Tygerberg, Republic of South Africa.

The Journal of the Dental Association of South Africa = Die Tydskrif Van Die Tandheelkundige Vereniging Van Suid-Afrika

|February 1, 1995

Summary

School-based dental programs effectively reduced cavities in children. Daily brushing with fluoride toothpaste was beneficial, but weekly fluoride rinses offered no added advantage in community settings.

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Area of Science:

Public Health
Pediatric Dentistry
Preventive Dentistry

Background:

School-based preventive programs for dental caries are proven effective in clinical settings.
Their real-world effectiveness in community conditions requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

To assess the community effectiveness of two school-based caries preventive programs over three years.
To compare the impact of daily fluoride toothpaste brushing versus daily brushing plus weekly fluoride rinses on dental caries reduction.

Main Methods:

A longitudinal study involving 150 primary school pupils aged 10-15 years from three schools.
One group received daily fluoride toothpaste brushing, another received daily brushing plus weekly fluoride rinses, and a control group received no intervention.

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The Decayed, Missing, and Filled Teeth (DMFT) index was used to measure caries prevalence.

Main Results:

Both intervention groups showed a reduction in DMFT index.
The group with daily brushing and weekly rinses (Dagbreek) showed a 14.2% reduction (0.96 DMFT).
The group with daily brushing only (Vergesig) showed a 24.5% reduction (1.85 DMFT), attributed to a higher baseline DMFT. The weekly rinse did not provide additional benefit.

Conclusions:

School-based caries prevention programs are cost-effective in community settings.
Daily brushing with fluoride toothpaste is effective, but weekly fluoride rinses did not demonstrate added benefit in this study.
Further research may be needed to optimize community-level dental caries prevention strategies.