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Evaluation of Pacific Islands Early Childhood Caries Prevention Project: Republic of the Marshall Islands
Author(s) -
Milgrom Peter,
Tut Ohnmar K.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
journal of public health dentistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.64
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1752-7325
pISSN - 0022-4006
DOI - 10.1111/j.1752-7325.2009.00117.x
Subject(s) - fluoride varnish , medicine , dentistry , early childhood caries , xylitol , toothpaste , varnish , oral health , fermentation , coating , chemistry , food science , organic chemistry
Objectives: This communication reports an outcomes evaluation of the Pacific Islands Early Childhood Caries Prevention Project. Methods: The evaluation includes children in three conditions: a) topical fluoride varnish three times per school year; b) varnish plus twice‐per‐day toothbrushing; and c) intervention 2 plus three‐times‐per‐day xylitol containing gummy bear snacks at school and home visits to encourage parental involvement. For this evaluation, groups 2 and 3 have been combined. Results: One year after project implementation, mean decayed, extracted, or filled primary teeth was 10.3 [standard deviation (SD) = 4.3] teeth for group 1, and 8.2 (SD = 4.0) teeth for the combination of groups 2 and 3 ( P < 0.05). Twenty‐four percent of group 1 had cavitated lesions in any permanent molar versus 12.8 percent in groups 2 and 3 combined ( P > 0.05). Conclusion: Evaluation confirms the outcome of a program including both in‐school twice‐daily toothbrushing with fluoridated toothpaste and frequent applications of fluoride varnish.