Report on caries reduction in French schoolchildren 3 years after the introduction of a preventive program.

A combination of preventive methods have been used to reduce dental caries in children aged 7-8 at baseline, living in a non-fluoridated area in the West of France. The preventive program involved a daily supervised toothbrushing at school with 180 mg of fluoridated toothpaste, professional prophylaxis every 2 months with topical application of fluoride gel and reinforced motivation. The oral hygiene level was measured using the Silness-Löe plaque index and caries were recorded using the def and DMF surface indices, including incipient lesions. The 3-yr results showed a significant 52% plaque reduction in the test group compared with the control group. Caries reduction was significant at the 0.01% level: 44% for primary teeth and 60% for permanent teeth.