Fluoride varnish applications provided in general dental practice for children of primary school age in three areas of the UK

Introduction Dental guidelines recommend professional application of fluoride varnish (FV) at least twice a year for children from the age of three. Methods NHS dental claims data were reviewed for children born in 2009 for the five-year period 2015-2019 and who attended the dentist in one of three geographical areas, labelled as Bristol, Birmingham and Cardiff. Data for 14,566 children were included in the study. Results Only 3.5% of children had been provided with ten or more FV applications at the dentist in the five-year period. Children in the Cardiff region fared less well for fluoride applications than their Bristol and Birmingham counterparts, including children that were seemingly at high risk of caries for part of the time period reviewed. For all three regions, the mean number of FV applications increased with an increase in the number of fillings provided. Conclusion Awareness of the apparent lack of FV application in the dental surgery may provide an opportunity to improve child dental health. Key points Highlights that few children received twice-annual fluoride varnish application (as recommended by guidelines) in NHS dental practices in Cardiff, Birmingham and Bristol areas. Even children seemingly at high risk of caries seldom received fluoride varnish applications twice a year over the five-year time period reviewed. Acknowledging this information may provide opportunities to improve the frequency of fluoride varnish application for children provided by commissioners and NHS dentists.