Compliance with school F-milk and non-F milk intake in 3 to 4 and 6 to 7-year-old children.
BACKGROUND
Fluoridated (F) milk schemes are employed in six countries to reduce dental caries in children. To maximise their benefits considerable uptake is required. Measuring compliance and understanding contributing factors is important in evaluating the effectiveness of schemes since it can be unclear whether reported sub-optimal fluoride (F) intakes, measured through urinary F excretion, are due to sub-optimal F contents of milks or lack of compliance with consumption.


OBJECTIVE
To determine compliance with milk consumption for children receiving non-F or F milk (containing 0.5 or 0.9 mgF per 189 ml carton) and rationalise the use of compliance data for clinical observational or intervention studies involving F milk schemes.


METHODS
Partially randomised, partial cross-over study.


METHODS
50 children aged 3-4 and 6-7y consuming non-F (n=50) and F milk (0.5 mgF; n=15 children; 0.9mg F; n=16 children) at school.


RESULTS
Mean compliance for both non-F and F milk was > or =90% in each of the groups studied and showed no statistically significant difference for children using both milks. The 95% central range of proportions of milk consumed for groups of individuals was wider for 0.9mgF milk (25% to 100%) than for 0.5 mgF milk (81% to 100%) although the greatest range of variation in compliance for within individual observations was seen for non-F milk consumption and in older children.


CONCLUSIONS
Assessment of compliance with consumption should be included when dental efficacy of F milk consumption is being investigated or evaluated to quantify F exposure from milk. This is important, particularly if a change in the F dose of F milk might be under consideration.
Centre for Oral Health Research, School of Dental Sciences, Newcastle University, UK.
R
R
Walls
V
V
Zohoori
L
L
Teasdale
D
D
Landes
I N
IN
Steen
P J
PJ
Moynihan
J
J
Lloyd
N
N
Omid
A
A
Maguire
D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D002327:Cariostatic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005459:Fluorides / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005522:Food Services; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D008892:Milk; D012574:Schools
D002327:Cariostatic Agents; D005459:Fluorides