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Regular use of mouthrinse reduces caries in children

A new study has confirmed that using fluoride mouthrinses helps prevent dental caries in children and adolescents. (Photograph: wavebreakmedia/Shutterstock)

Thu. 11 August 2016

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LONDON, UK: In order to determine the effectiveness and safety of fluoride mouthrinses in preventing dental caries in the younger population, researchers have conducted an extensive review of studies published on the topic over four decades. They were able to confirm that regular use of a fluoride mouthrinse by children and adolescents is associated with a large reduction in caries increment in permanent teeth.

In the study, researchers at the Queen Mary University of London reviewed 37 trials published between 1965 and 2005 that tested supervised use of fluoride mouthrinses in schools and at home. Overall, the studies involved 15,813 children and adolescents aged 6–14. The children were treated with a fluoride mouthrinse mostly formulated with sodium fluoride or a placebo on a daily or weekly basis or received no treatment.

The analysis confirmed that supervised regular use of a fluoride mouthrinse could help reduce tooth decay in children and adolescents. On average, children treated with a mouthrinse showed a 27 per cent reduction in decayed, missing and filled tooth surfaces in permanent teeth compared with participants in the placebo group or those who did not use a mouthrinse.

According to the researchers, this benefit is likely to be present even if children use fluoride toothpaste or live in water-fluoridated areas. They also found little information about potential adverse effects and acceptability.

The review, titled “Fluoride mouthrinses for preventing dental caries in children and adolescents”, was published online on 29 July in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.

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