Compliance with fluoride supplements provided by a dental hygienist in homes of low-income parents of preschool children in Quebec.
OBJECTIVE
This study aimed to assess the compliance with fluoride supplements provided at home by a dental hygienist to mothers of at-risk preschool children.


METHODS
Participants were recruited during pregnancy of low-income women. On the first visit, the mothers of 60 infants aged 6 to 9 months were handed free fluoride supplements. A questionnaire was administered at that time and after 6 and 12 months to assess compliance during the preceding week.


RESULTS
At the beginning of the study, none of the mothers reported having given fluoride supplements, in comparison with 73 percent of mothers of 44 infants who received all three visits at the end of follow-up; 48 percent reported fluoride supplement use on a daily basis.


CONCLUSIONS
Removal of financial and physical barriers and personal professional involvement are good strategies to achieve compliance with fluoride supplements. Further assessment regarding the possible application of this intervention to other professional or cultural contexts is warranted.
Gagnon
Fabien
F
Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Department of Community Health Sciences, 3001, 12e Avenue Nord, Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada. Fabien.Gagnon@USherbrooke.ca
Catellier
Pierre
P
Arteau-Gauthier
Isabelle
I
Simard-Tremblay
Elisabeth
E
Lepage-Saucier
Marianne
M
Paradis-Robert
Nina
N
Michel
Julie
J
Lavallière
André
A
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002327:Cariostatic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003756:Dental Hygienists; D019587:Dietary Supplements / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006267:Health Education, Dental; D006792:House Calls; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008430:Maternal-Child Health Centers; D009035:Mothers; D010349:Patient Compliance; D011203:Poverty; D011792:Quebec; D012969:Sodium Fluoride / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric
D002327:Cariostatic Agents; D012969:Sodium Fluoride