Fluoride Supplements Reduce Decay

Dentists have long known that fluoride supplements reduce children's risk of tooth decay. They also increase the risk for a condition called fluorosis. A new Norwegian study supports these facts.

Researchers from the University of Bergen, Norway, and the University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, did the study. It involved 660 children who lived in Bergen. Dentists examined them for tooth decay and fluorosis. Fluorosis is a condition caused by swallowing too much fluoride. It usually involves white spots or streaks on the teeth. They often are not noticeable.

All of the children's families were mailed questionnaires. The survey asked about the children's past use of fluoridated toothpaste and fluoride pills.

Norway does not add fluoride to its water. Its guidelines for fluoride use in children are the same as those in the United States.

The study found that regular use of fluoride pills increased the risk for mild to moderate fluorosis in permanent teeth. Children who were given the pills between ages 4 and 7 had a risk that was 7 to 12 times as high as children who did not take them. Almost all of the fluorosis in these children could be explained by the pills, rather than by fluoride toothpaste or fluoride in water or foods.

However, using fluoride supplements for 6 years cut the risk nearly in half.

The authors conclude that fluoride helps to prevent cavities and that children who take fluoride supplements are at minimal risk for mild or moderate fluorosis. They also found that children should use no more than a pea-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste.

Other findings:

Children under 2 who brushed more than once per day with a pea-sized amount of toothpaste had a 40% lower risk of tooth decay.

Children under 2 who used more than a pea-sized amount of toothpaste were at high risk for fluorosis. They were not protected against tooth decay. Children at older ages who used this much toothpaste were not at risk for fluorosis.

Children who drank carbonated beverages at least once a day were twice as likely to have tooth decay as children who never drank them.

Toothpaste labels in the United States direct parents to talk with a dentist or doctor before using fluoride toothpaste in children under the age of 2.

In Norway and in the United States, fluoride supplements are recommended for children who do not receive fluoride in their water. Norway does not fluoridate its water supply. In the United States, about 62% of people who use public water are drinking fluoridated water.

Supplements are offered to U.S. children between the ages of 6 months and 16 years. They are given only after a discussion with parents or caregivers.

The study appears in the April issue of the Journal of the American Dental Association.

Thanks to Nancy Volkers
InteliHealth News Service

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