MODERN APPROACHES TO CARIES PREVENTION IN CHILDREN BASED ON FLUORIDE PREPARATIONS.
Abstract
Dental caries remains one of the most prevalent chronic diseases among children worldwide and continues to represent a major public health concern.. Clinical evaluation was performed at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months using the DMFT index, Plaque Index, Gingival Index, and assessment of enamel demineralization lesions. The findings demonstrated a significant reduction in caries progression in the fluoride intervention groups[1,2,3]. The DMFT index decreased by 30% in the fluoride toothpaste group and by 45% in the fluoride varnish group, whereas no significant improvement was observed in the control group (p < 0.05). Additional analysis revealed a substantial reduction in relative risk and absolute risk of caries development, particularly in the fluoride varnish group. Improvements in oral hygiene indicators and reduction of white spot lesions confirmed the remineralizing and preventive effects of fluoride. Multivariate regression analysis identified fluoride application, oral hygiene level, and sugar consumption frequency as independent predictors of caries progression[4,5,6].