Prevention in kindergartens with 500 ppm fluoride toothpaste—a randomized clinical trial

Objectives The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of an intensified preventive programme in kindergartens. Materials and methods Two thousand two hundred twenty-eight 2- to 4-year-old children attending kindergartens in two counties in northern Hesse were randomly allocated to two groups. Children in the test group participated in daily tooth brushing with 500 ppm fluoride toothpaste, which was supervised by specially trained dental nurses. Children in the control group received tooth brushing instructions three to four times a year. Caries experience was recorded using WHO criteria. The basic survey was performed from October 2006 to April 2007, with the final examinations between March and July 2009. The statistical evaluation was performed by means of the software package SPSS 17.0. To compare the mean Δdmf values of the test and control groups, Mann-Whitney U tests were performed. Results Two thousand one hundred twelve children (test group, 1096; control group, 1048) participated in the final examinations. The caries increment of the test group (Δdmf-s = 1.55) was 24 % lower than the increment of the control group (Δdmf-s = 2.02, p = 0.043). Based on Δdmf-t values, the corresponding figures were 0.79 for the test group and 1 for the control group ( p = 0.44). High increment values (Δdmf-s >7) were observed in the control group twice as often as in the test group. Conclusion The results show that an intensified preventive programme in kindergartens, based on supervised daily tooth brushing, has a positive effect on the dental health of preschool children. Clinical relevance It is sufficient to offer such programmes in socially deprived areas.