title: Dental caries in susceptible fissures after prolonged fluoride application.
abstract: A prolonged fluoride application (PFA) method was used to treat susceptible fissures in 210 permanent first molar teeth in 79 children living in a fluoridated community. The development of caries in these fissures was followed for periods ranging from 2 to 4 years. At the final examination, 82.8% of occlusal surfaces in the 2-year group and 8090% of those in the 3-year group were free of detectable lesions. The corresponding value for the 4-year group was 78.9%. The mean number of treatments of these surfaces with the PFA method ranged from 1.6 for the 2-year group to 2.9 for the 4-year group.
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D004245:DMF Index; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000517:prevention & control*; D003733:Dental Caries Susceptibility; D005260:Female; D005457:Fluoridation; D005460:Fluorides, Topical / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male
chemical_list: D005460:Fluorides, Topical