Dental caries and fluorosis in 7-9 and 11-14 year old children who received fluoride supplements from birth.

One hundred and sixty children who had lived from birth in a region with low fluoride levels in the drinking water, and who had been offered sodium fluoride supplementation in the form of drops for daily use, were examined to evaluate dental caries and dental fluorosis. Two age ranges were selected: 7-9 years and 11-14 years. In addition to the dental examinations, questionnaires were mailed to the parents, followed-up by telephone interviews, to gather information on compliance with the fluoride supplementation program. The results showed no statistically significant differences in dental caries activity between the regular and irregular users of fluoride supplementation. Considerable dental fluorosis was found in both regular and irregular user groups of the fluoride supplement (38 to 63 per cent of the children seen), however, with no statistical difference between the user groups. Most of the fluorosis detected was of a mild degree. Fluoride supplementation under the daily control of a parent or child is not recommended because of the difficulty in maintaining regular compliance and the risk of fluorosis.