title: Effect of school-based fluoride mouth-rinsing on dental caries incidence among schoolchildren in the Kingdom of Tonga.
abstract: Since 1998, the authors have been working to improve the oral health of children at kindergartens and primary schools in the Kingdom of Tonga (Tonga). Our primary activity has been a school-based fluoride mouth-rinsing (FMR) program. FMR is performed using 7-10 mL of a 0.2% NaF solution for 1 min once per week at each school. In the present study, we evaluated the effect of school-based FMR on dental caries incidence among Tongan schoolchildren. A total of 109 children aged 10 years were evaluated at six primary schools on Tongatapu Island. The FMR group comprised 46 children who had participated in the school-based FMR program for at least 5 years 6 months; the control group comprised 63 children who had participated in the school-based FMR program for 1 year or less. During standardized dental examinations, decayed, missing, and filled teeth were counted by a single dentist at each school. The school-based FMR program effectively decreased the number of dental caries. A school-based FMR program may thus be very beneficial in preventing caries among children in Tonga.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Nihon University School of Dentistry at Matsudo, Japan. takeuchi.reiri@nihon-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Reiri
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Takeuchi
authors.forename: Kohji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kawamura
authors.forename: Sayuri
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kawamura
authors.forename: Mami
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Endoh
authors.forename: Sililo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tomiki
authors.forename: Chieko
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Taguchi
authors.forename: Seigo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
mesh_terms: D002327:Cariostatic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D002648:Child; D004245:DMF Index; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D009067:Mouthwashes / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D012571:School Dentistry; D012969:Sodium Fluoride / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D014058:Tonga / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D002327:Cariostatic Agents; D009067:Mouthwashes; D012969:Sodium Fluoride