title: Caries prevention with fluoride varnish in a socially deprived community.
abstract: It has been suggested that specific preventive programs be developed for children with high caries risk. One possibility is to consider whole classes in socially deprived schools as caries-risk groups and perform an intensified preventive program for the entire class.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of such a program which includes the application of a fluoride varnish (Duraphat).
  
  
  METHODS
  The application of the varnish was offered three to four times a year in a community with low socio-economic status and a generally high caries level. Two hundred and sixty-nine children in six primary schools of Linden/Limmer, a district in Hannover, Germany, were allocated to a test or a control group. The test group received the fluoride varnish for 4 years whereas the control group received no professional fluoride application. DMFT was recorded at the beginning of the study and after 4 years.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At the end of the study, children who had received a minimum of two fluoride applications per year showed a significantly lower caries increment in comparison with the control group (0.88 DMFT vs 1.39 DMFT, P < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It can be concluded that a minimum of two applications of the fluoride varnish Duraphat per year may be an effective measure in preventing caries in socially deprived children with high caries activity.
authors.affiliation: Charité, Humboldt-University Berlin, School of Dentistry, Dept. of Operative and Preventive Dentistry, Germany. stefan.zimmer@t-online.de
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zimmer
authors.forename: F J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Robke
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Roulet
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D004245:DMF Index; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000191:economics* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005260:Female; D005460:Fluorides, Topical / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011204:Poverty Areas; D012571:School Dentistry; D012969:Sodium Fluoride / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric
chemical_list: D005460:Fluorides, Topical; C023807:sodium fluoride topical preparation; D012969:Sodium Fluoride